Aftermath
by TheTenaciousT
Summary: After saving Tamriel from a doomed fate (twice), Terah must deal with the aftermath. It seems her acquired fame as the dragonborn and hero of Skyrim has only caused more trouble for her. Follows Dragonborn DLC storyline and features Teldryn Sero, blade for hire!
1. Wanderer

**Hello, Skyrim fans! This is my first fanfic, so have patience with my mediocrity lol. I am completely open to your constructive criticism! I'm gonna try to avoid being overly descriptive because I don't wanna take up three paragraphs describing something when you already know what it looks like lol.**

**This takes place after both the main storyline and the Dawnguard storyline. Also includes Hearthfire DLC.**

**I don't own anything that may be familiar to you. Bethesda is the genious, not I. =)**

* * *

At the highest peak of Skyrim is where she spends a good amount of her time, gazing over the cold, harsh land that she calls her home. Even with the unforgivingly freezing weather, Terah finds a certain kind of peace at the Throat of the World. It's so disconnected from the rest of the world, which is exactly what she likes about it so much. Being the dragonborn and whatnot, she got far too much attention for her liking.

But regardless of how many Words of Power she learns, regardless of how long she meditates on the words, and regardless of the fact that it's been almost two years since Alduin's demise, she still finds herself feeling restless.

All she had been doing since her trip to Sovngarde and back was helping people, working for the Companions, sleighing dragons, training with the Greybeards. . . Oh, and stopping a however-many-centuries-old vampire lord from taking control of the sun and shrouding the world in darkness. Besides that, self-improvement has been her driving motive. She thought that bettering herself and gaining strength would fill the hole in her chest, yet here she is today still feeling empty.

It's not like Terah doesn't have any friends. She certainly has many friends in high places all across Skyrim and is one the wealthiest Nords in all nine of the holds, but none of that mattered to her. She had discovered a harsh truth; being the dragonborn was downright lonely.

Terah pulled a letter out of her pocket, reading over the fine writing. It was an invitation from Jarl Ulfric to a feast in honor of the Stormcloak victory at Fort Who-Cares.

_Of course he has to have the dragonborn there,_ she thought. _But I guess it wouldn't hurt to get out and socialize a bit._

So Terah stood up, brushed the snow off of her dragonscale armor, and walked over to the dragon perched up on the word wall.  
"I'll be off, Paarthurnax. I must head to Windhelm."

"Farewell, Dovahkiin. Remember, push the world harder than it pushes back."

"As if I can forget," she said with a small smile. "Su'um ahrk morah."

* * *

Terah despised parties. Dressing up just isn't her thing, and she finds the way most women dress to be quite repulsive. Five women already have nearly flashed everyone in the Palace of Kings as they skipped along and danced to the bards' drums. Not that the men would've minded, of course.

The palace had been rearranged for the occasion. The tables that were normally set up in the center had been pushed to off to the sides of the large room, creating a dance floor for the guests. Some smaller tables were placed towards the corners. There was a heaping amount of fine food that dominated most of the tables, and there were numerous banners hanging about in honor of the Stormcloaks.

Terah continued to drum her fingers on the table in the far right corner of the palace, sitting and observing the ever-so-lovely party guests.

_Your breasts go INSIDE your dress, you damn -_

"Ah, Dragonborn. I'm glad you made it," said Jarl Ulfric as he approached the table with a smile. She stood up and he took her hand to kiss it. "You look beautiful this evening."

She was wearing a long, hunter-green gown that flowed down her small, sturdy figure. The gown had a heart-shaped top with short sleeves. It did nothing to hide the nasty looking scars that covered most of her body, but it was still modest. She wore an amulet of Talos around her neck (much to Ulfric's liking) and a beautiful gold and emerald circlet on her head. Her long, light cinnamon-blonde hair was curled for the occasion and reached down to her belly botton. She wore dark eyeliner around her eyes, which in combination with the dress made her blue eyes look much greener than usual.

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world," She said as she smiled at him, completely ignoring the compliment. Despite the fact that she hated parties and dresses, Terah was never the type to blow people off. Particularly people of high status.

Ulfric moved a little closer to her, gently placing both hands on her shoulders. "Have you considered my offer, Dragonborn?"

"Of course I have. And I haven't changed my mind. I'm not interested in the politics of this war, Jarl Ulfric. I will remain neutral."

He had offered Terah a position as High Queen of Skyrim if she agreed to join his cause. Not only was she determined to remain completely uninvolved in the war, but she also knew it was unwise for the dragonborn to have such a high position. She already had plenty of power, she didn't need political power as well. For one person to hold that much power is foolish, and even a bit frightening. Besides, she knew Ulfric only wanted to marry her just because she was the dragonborn. Terah considered him a friend, and he had always been kind to her, but he often came off as a power-hungry bastard.

"I understand. Howev-"

"No, Ulfric. I'm not sure if your heart is in the right places, and no amount of power will suspend my judgement of that," she said calmly. "Please, do not bother with such troublesome matter. Drink, feast, enjoy yourself! This is a celebration, so let's celebrate."

Luckily, Ulfric took the hint that she didn't want to talk about it and dropped the subject.

* * *

Terah found it rather nice to chat with some of the locals since she had not visited Windhelm for a while. She wrapped her furs tighter around her shoulders as she tread along the cold stone on her way to Candlehearth Hall, the night's conversations running through her mind.

_Tonight wasn't so bad after all. At least the food was delicious. _ Just then, she walked right into someone much taller than her, causing her to nearly fall backwards.

"Pardon me, I didn't -"

She froze the moment she saw that the stranger was robed and wearing some kind of mask made of bone. He was accompanied by a woman dressed the same way.

"You," he said harshly. "Are you the one they call 'Dragonborn'?"

"Uhhhh," she started, brows furrowed together in confusion. "Yeah, I'm the dragonborn. Is there a problem?"

The woman then chimed in, voice dripping with disgust, "Then it is already too late! The lie has spread!"

"Whoa, relax. I didn't bestow this title upon myself. If you have a problem with it, take it up with the Greybeards. I wouldn't recommend it, though." she said with a small chuckle, completely unintimidated by these strangers.

"Your lies fall upon deaf ears," said the man. "Kill the false dragonborn!"

The robed pair then pulled out their swords and swung them right at Terah. Taken aback by the sudden outburst of violence, she reacted quickly in defense, for she was unprotected at the moment.

"**_Feim__!_**"

Just as she became ethereal, both swords went straight through her body and hit the cold stone beneith her feet. It was then that the nearby guards ran over to help and attacked the strangers. Feeling useless, Terah decided to attack with a bone-chilling frostwall at a distance, which seemed to be doing the trick.

"I'll show you dragonborn!" she yelled as she readied herself for another shout. "**_Fo Kra Diin!_**"

Just then the robed pair both fell, nearly frozen solid.

"Are you alright, Dovahkiin?" said a female guard with concern, placing a hand on Terah's back.

"Yes, I'm alright. Thank you." Terah glanced down at herself and noticed that her gown had been torn at the bottom from the fight. _Well, so much for that._

She approached the bodies and began to inspect them. They appeared to be a part of some kind of cult. Terah inferred that maybe they served some kind of ancient dragon priest or something, since they had called her the "false" dragonborn, but that was just a guess. Finally, she found a note on the man's body. She read it, and reread it again, her mind trying to piece together what was going on.

_What in the name of Akatosh? Who is this 'Miraak'?_

Terah knew she shouldn't be so foolish as to underestimate the threat. Determined to find answers and rather pissed off that some random cultists just tried to kill her, she stormed off to Candlehearth Hall to get some rest before heading to the docks first thing in the morning.

* * *

"What do you mean you have no idea how you got here?" she asked incredulously. "I'm assuming you got here via your boat. That's usually how you travel across water, you know."

"You can cut the sarcasm. I honestly don't know. All I know is that those people with the masks came up to me and then. . . I was here, in Windhelm. Something isn't right about that island," said Captain Gjalund as he was fixing some ropes on the boat, obviously still shaken up about his encounter with the cultists. "I am not going back."

Terah was starting to get annoyed. _He's going to need some convincing._

Getting in his face with her voice a low growl, "Listen, someone from Solstheim wants me dead because of the mere fact that I am the dragonborn. And if there really is something off about that island then this is serious. _Very _serious. So you take me there _today_ or believe me, I will cut off your bal-"

"Okay, okay!" he said, putting his hands up in defense. "I'll take you. But I don't like this one bit."

* * *

**This was just an intro chapter to set the scene. I know the original in-game dialogue is better than the crap I write, but I really don't wanna make you read a bunch of stuff you've already seen/heard. I'll still be writing familiar scenes, but I'll just be writing them differently. Feedback is highly appreciated! Next chapter we get to meet our favorite Dunmer mercenary ;)**


	2. Pathetic Excuse of an Island

**Here's chapter 2 :)**

* * *

"Here we are."

Terah had been laying down for most of the journey, talking to Captain Gjalund about her experiences as the dragonborn. In her excitement to get off of the boat already, she sat up way too fast. She shook off the dizziness and waited for the black spots in her vision to clear out before she squinted her ice-blue eyes to get a good look at the island before them.

After taking in the scenery, she started to regret her decision to come here. The island was dull and gloomy, and the air was heavily polluted with ash. Terah glanced over the edge of the boat; even the _water_ looked awfully tainted. The smell of ash began to creep into her nostrils, causing her to hold back a sneeze. She could easily see the Red Mountain in the distance and noticed smoke rising from its peak. Terah had heard of the Red Mountain's eruption, but she didn't realize it was this bad.

Solstheim was a pathetic excuse of an island.

"This is Raven Rock, a Dunmer settlement. It's mostly known for it's ebony mines. Maybe you can figure out what's going on here," said the captain.

"Well, it seems there has been an eruption from that mountain over there," she said matter-of-factly.

"Very funny," the captain drawled, trying not to get irritated. "But this is serious, Dragonborn. I believe you can do something about this."

In that moment, something occurred to her. She rarely came across somebody in Skyrim who didn't already know who she was, and here she is about to set foot on a fairly secluded island where there is a large chance that _nobody_ knows who she is. This was a perfect opportunity to get out of the spotlight and start her reputation from the bottom again.

She smiled to herself. _A clean slate. I'm actually kinda looking forward to this._

Terah stood up and glanced down at her dragonscale armor, frowning. _This is a dead giveaway. But oh well, maybe no one will pay too much attention to it._

Just as the boat came to a halt, she walked over to the captain. "Captain Gjalund?"

"Hm?"

With sincerity in her eyes, she answered, "I just wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you this morning. I was just very frustrated and -"

"No need to apologize," he interrupted her with a small smile, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I know you have a lot on your plate, Drago-"

"Shhh," she said while placing a finger to her mouth. "That's another thing I want to talk to you about. I need to ask you a favor." Terah looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before leaning towards him with a hushed voice, "I don't think anyone here knows I am the dragonborn of Skyrim, and I plan to keep it that way. All I ask is that you keep my identity as the dragonborn a secret. Someone here wants me dead because of who I am, so I need to lay low."

"Of course, no problem," he said before averting his attention to something behind Terah. "I think someone wants to talk to you."

She turned around to see an older Dunmer man dressed in fine clothing, waiting for her on the dock. Terah exited the Northern Maiden and approached him, not sure what to expect.

The Dunmer spoke up first, "I don't recognize you. Who are you, outlander?"

Clearing her throat, she thought for a short moment. Although the note she found on the cultist's body mysteriously included her name, she didn't see a dire need to make up a fake name for herself here. So, she decided to give him her real name.

"My name is Terah."

"Welcome to Raven Rock, territory of House Redoran. I am second councilor Adril Arano."

She almost expected him to stick out his hand for a handshake, but he just stood there, staring at her with his blood red eyes. "State your business here."

Remembering Gjalund saying something about ebony mines, she thought of an excuse. "I am looking for work."

His demeanor changed with her answer, making him look a little deflated. "Well, I am sorry to say that you will find no work here. The mines dried up long ago. These are hard times for our settlement, but we manage."

"I see," she said, trying to seem sympathetic. "I think I might stick around for a while, though. Maybe explore the island a bit."

"Ah, well, do whatever you please." Arano said, waving a hand dismissively. "You hail from Skyrim, I presume?"

"Yes."

"Fine with me." The tone in his voice then became much more assertive, "But remember, this isn't Skyrim, outlander. This is _Morrowind_. You are expected to obey our laws and respect our customs."

"Of course, councilor. I won't be a problem, I promise you that," she replied reassuringly.

"Good. It's getting late, so you may want to head over to The Retching Netch for the night," he said while pointing over towards the town entrance. "Just head on through and make a left. It'll be the first building to your right."

"Thank you," she said with a slight bow of her head. Terah started her walk towards the town, but stopped herself. It probably wouldn't be very smart to go asking everyone about Miraak; she didn't want word to travel that she was in Solstheim looking for him. She decided to go against the thought and figured she'd risk asking.

Terah spun around on her heels, "Councilor Arano, I just have one question I'd like to ask you."

"Yes?" he said, raising a brow.

"Do you know where I can find someone by the name of 'Miraak'?"

He paused, staring off as if he was recalling a distant memory. "Miraak. . . _Miraak,_" he repeated as he rose a hand up to stroke his chin. "I swear I've heard that name before. Does it have something to do with the Earth Stone? No. . ."

"The Earth Stone?"

"Yes. That large stone just over there," he said gesturing to her right towards where a small part of land branched out from the island.

Looking over towards the stone, she mulled over his strange answer.

"Well I'll be off now. I am going to retire for the night. I suggest you do the same," the councilor said while walking away, interrupting her thoughts.

Terah decided she'd check it out tomorrow.

* * *

At first she thought she might've walked into the wrong place, having been surprised to see a small room with a downward staircase in the middle. She stood in the doorway for a moment, eyes wandering about, taking in the oddly u-shaped room made of stone. There were two people, one man (who probably worked there) cooking something in the fireplace, and someone else sitting to her right donned in the weirdest looking armor she had ever seen. Terah decided to approach the cook, taking the left route and clearing her throat.

"This is The Retching Netch, correct?"

The Dunmer stopped stirring the contents in the pot, turned to her, and smiled. "Of course it is. Welcome, outlander. If you need a room, talk to Geldis Sadri downstairs."

A little more relaxed by his kindness, she smiled back and replied, "Thank you. Will do."

As Terah walked back towards the entrance, she passed the armored stranger, noticing how he watched her every move as she made her way downstairs. Once she got to the bottom floor, she spotted a counter in the middle of the room with a Dunmer man standing behind it. He was dressed in red with his hair tied up, and was busy putting tankards away. Terah noticed several other people sitting around chatting and drinking amongst themselves, but she was more focused on the man behind the counter, who she assumed to be Geldis.

When he saw her, he nearly jumped for joy at the sight of a visitor. He beamed at her, "Welcome to The Retching Netch corner club! Home of the finest Sujamma!"

"You're Geldis, right? I'm Terah," she said while she extended her arm out over the counter and smiled. He shook her hand with a little too much enthusiasm, still beaming relentlessly.

"That's me name. What can I do for you, m'lady?"

"I'd like to rent a room, please," she said while pulling out her coin purse.

"You got it! It's yours for a day. Lemme show you to your room," he said as he practically skipped over to her. As he walked her to her room, she couldn't help but notice all the glares and whispers coming from the other customers. Finally, they arrived at the first room that was to the right of the main counter. Geldis turned to her, his smile widening, "If you need anything, just let me know."

"Thank you, Geldis," she said as she set down her pack. The stone room was quite large compared to most inns in Skyrim. There was a lot of room considering that it included a bed on the right, a bookcase on the left, and some tables and chests towards the back of the room.

Terah wasn't tired just yet though, so she decided to get a drink. She head over to the counter and did her best to ignore the staring from the other customers. Before she could even ask, Geldis spoke up.

"Can I getcha somethin' to drink?"

"You read my mind. I'd like to try that 'Sujamma' you mentioned," she said while taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Right away m'lady! This one's on me, seeing it's your first time here." He poured her a tankard full and set it on the counter for her.

"Thank you, Geldis. Your kindness has no bounds," she said smiling at him. Terah got a good vibe from this man; he didn't look down on her for being a Nord, or for being a so-called "outlander."

_This man seems to be a genuinely nice person. Or perhaps it's just good customer service. Only the gods know for sure._

Geldis began wiping down the counter. "So what brings you here, outlander?"

"Just passing through. Thought I'd take a look around the island a bit," she replied while taking a sip of her drink. Taken aback by its unusual flavor, she choked on it a little, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Well, that's certainly an acquired taste."

"That's the best drink you've ever had! You just don't know it yet," he said with a wink. Terah laughed. "If you'd like company in your travels, there's a hireling upstairs. He's pretty damn good, if you ask me."

"Is that so?" she replied before taking another sip of the Sujamma in an attempt to adjust to the taste. "I noticed him when I walked in. Perhaps I'll go introduce myself." She rose from her seat with a smirk on her face. "Thanks for the Sujamma, Geldis."

"Anytime."

* * *

**Okay, I may have lied to you. My chapters will end up being longer than I had hoped lol. I also had to break this one up because the original version was ridiculously long, so no Teldryn just yet. But fret not! I have posted the next chapter at the same time as this one, so you will get your Teldryn. =p**

**Also, I probably won't be able to update very often. Being in college and all, the end of the semester is nigh, so I will be pretty darn busy with finals and whatnot! But once summertime comes, I will do NOTHING. And it will be GREAT.**


	3. Best Swordsman in all of Morrowind

**Okay, now we meet Teldryn as promised. :)**

* * *

She made her way upstairs and took a seat in the chair across the table from the armored stranger. "So," she started. "You're a mercenary, I hear."

"Teldryn Sero, blade for hire," he said in a deep, raspy voice. He extended his arm across the table for her to shake his hand. She looked at him for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it.

_That voice. He has to be Dunmer. _Even though she was familiar with the rasp of most Dunmer voices, his stood out to her for some reason.

"Terah," she said before letting go of his gloved hand. "I also hear you're pretty damn good."

Sitting up straighter with his chest poked out a little, he replied, "Best swordsman in all of Morrowind. If you have the coin, I am at your service."

"Really now?" Terah asked with a brow raised inquisitively. She fumbled for her coin purse. "That's quite a claim. I'll have to see about that."

She slammed a hefty amount of gold on the table. As Teldryn reached out for it, she quickly and firmly grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Ah, I believe you are mistaken. I am not hiring you. I am challenging you," she said as she rose from her seat with a smirk growing on her face.

He leaned back a little in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "You want to fight me?"

"No, not fight. Duel. If you win, you get all of this gold you see here and I'll hire you. If I win. . . well, I'll probably still hire you," she said with a chuckle. "But you'll have to buy me a drink. What do you say, Teldryn Sero?"

"Well I hardly see that that's fair. Someone like me against a little Nord like you?" He had a hint of friendly taunt in his voice.

_Bah. Little Nord. That takes me back_. Before Terah had built up her reputation in Skyrim, everyone had referred to her as the "little Nord."

"I know, right? It isn't very fair to you that you'll have to lose in front of all these people. . ." she trailed off, shaking her head in feigned sympathy.

"Oh, I see how it's going to be," he said playfully as he rose from his seat. He was a good deal taller than her (who wasn't?), but she hardly saw that as much of a threat.

"That's the spirit," she smirked and grabbed the gold, beckoning him to follow her downstairs. She knew that all she had to do was taunt him a little for him to take the bait. As she tossed the gold on the counter, Terah called out to Geldis, "Don't worry Geldis, we won't break anything."

He looked up from cleaning some tankards, "What do you mean you won't break anything?"

This drew everyone's attention to the two. They all turned in their seats to see what was going on. Teldryn and Terah walked over to the end of the room and unsheathed their swords, stretching their muscles in preparation. Geldis easily pieced together what was going on and did not like it one bit.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no." He started as he nearly jogged around the counter over to them. "Not in here!"

"Relax, Geldis." said Terah reassuringly. "Like I said, we won't break anything," she said while inspecting her dragonbone sword. "Besides, I just wanna see if he's as good as he claims to be."

"By Sheogorath himself. You are mad," he said, shaking his head.

"Alright, here are the rules, Teldryn," she began as she was getting into a fighting stance. "No enchantments, no magic, and no causing any damage to this fine establishment. Other than that, anything goes. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough." He mimicked her actions and got into his own fighting stance as well.

"Alright Geldis, on your mark." She had barely noticed that a crowd had gathered near them to see the action. Terah could hear murmurs of insults and bets being made, but she paid no mind to it.

"If you say so," Geldis sighed. "Three. . . Two. . . One. . . Go!"

Teldryn instantly swung his Elven sword right at her face, but she quickly leaned back and dodged it. He immediately struck again and came down from above aiming for her head, but she blocked the blow in an upward motion. Although she was smaller than him and wasn't even wearing a helmet, he most certainly didn't take care to go easy on her.

Terah noted three things that were prevalent in Teldryn's combat skills; he was quick, agressive, and simply would not let up.

She couldn't help but wonder how in Oblivion he didn't get tired; he just kept on going and would not slow down even in the slightest. After exchanging blow after blow, she finally got him where she wanted him. Terah spun around and struck him hard right in the middle of his back, making him let out a grunt as he lost some of his footing. This was the perfect chance to claim her victory. But before she could even raise her blade for another strike, he had swooped his sword under her right foot. Crying out in surprise, she fell right on her butt. In the blink of an eye, he was on top of her and had her pinned down to the floor with his Elven sword placed firmly on her neck. She had lost.

The crowd cheered for Teldryn's victory. Terah swore she could hear some profanities directed towards her, but she was too distracted by the close proximity of the mysterious man who had bested her. The crowd began to disperse, but he held his position, his face still inches away from hers.

Panting heavily, Terah couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. You _are_ pretty damn good."

Teldryn slowly got off of her and extended out his hand. She took it and he lifted her up onto her feet. "You're not too bad yourself. No hard feelings?"

"None."

He gestured towards her neck, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Oh _now _you're concerned about my safety," she joked. "You were aiming at my head when I'm not even wearing a helmet."

He shrugged. "Just wanted to show you that fancy jewelry doesn't provide very good protection."

She reached up and touched the gold and ruby circlet that she was wearing, having forgotten that it was there. The memory of the maze she had to go through to get it flashed through her mind. "I only bother with jewelry if its enchanted. This circlet makes spells cost lest magicka to cast."

"Quite handy," he said as he walked over towards the counter, Terah following suit.

"Indeed. Well, there's your gold as promised. Oh, and heres 500 gold for your services," she said as she set even more gold on the counter.

"I don't find that necessary," he said pushing the gold back towards her. "This is more than enough to cover it."

"No, no," she said while shaking her head and sliding the gold back over to him. "I am a woman of my word."

"Well, you may have lost, but I'll still buy you a drink," he said as he sat down on a stool. "Two Sujammas, please."

"Right away," Geldis said as he grabbed a bottle, thankful that their little act didn't get ugly. "I have your drink from earlier that you didn't finish, Terah. It's still fresh if you want it."

"Sure, that'll do," she said as she took a seat next to Teldryn.

"Now how am I supposed to buy you a drink?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Maybe I don't _need _you to buy me a drink," she said while smiling at him. "Besides, I'm pretty tired. You should get some rest too. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Terah stood up from her seat, Sujamma in hand, and tossed a gold piece over to Geldis. "Wake me up at sunrise, will you?"

"Sure thing, m'lady."

No one could see it under his helmet, but Teldryn was grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

**What is she thinkin' challenging THE Teldryn Sero?! She be actin' a fool! :o . . . I know im bad at writing fight scenes, so bear with me lol.**

**And now the quest to find the infamous Miraak begins.**


	4. Tainted

**Sorry for the wait, but I managed to make some time to squeeze this chapter out. :)**

* * *

She woke up to soft knocking on the door.

Terah was far from being a morning person, so it took just about everything she had to gather the will to roll out of bed and answer the door. It was Geldis.

He was taken aback by her appearance at first. Her long, stick-straight hair was a little messy and framed her round face, flowing down over her breasts. She had slept in a plain green tunic that reached down to her knees, and her bright blue eyes were still puffy with sleep. Geldis noticed multiple scars on her arms and some on her legs, but they didn't defile her appearance. He couldn't lie to himself; even in this state he found the little Nord attractive. The fact that the light tunic she wore did nothing to hide her curves didn't help either.

"Oh, it's just you," she said with a drowsy smile.

Snapping out of his stupor, he slapped on a smile, "Goodmorning m'lady. You look like you're still pretty tired. I could let you sleep for a while longer if you'd like."

"As tempting as that offer is, I really need to get up," she said with a big yawn. "Thank you, Geldis."

"Mm hm. Can I offer you some breakfast? We don't have much, but it's somethin'."

"Sure. Surprise me," she said with a weak smile.

Terah shut the door and gathered her armor out of the chest at the end of the bed. After she dressed herself, she braided her hair in her usual braid and pinned it up so it'd be out of the way. Finally, she put on her circlet, grabbed her pack, and head over to the counter.

"Here you go. Warm and fresh," said Geldis with a big smile as he handed her a bowl of hot soup.

"Thank you," she said while taking a seat and smiling at the food. She didn't realize how hungry she was. After taking the first bite, she sat there for a moment, taking in the weird taste. She swallowed and rose a brow, "Tastes like ash."

"I'm afraid there's no gettin' around that," he said sympathetically.

"It's okay, I'm not that picky."

As she continued to eat her soup, she looked around the room, taking in some of the other customers for the first time. There was a grumpy Orcish man sitting at a small table just behind her, sharing a meal with a Dunmer man that looked like was a body guard of some sort. They were both giving her dirty looks, murmuring to each other over their meal. She spotted another Dunmer man sitting at a table farther across the room and could see him staring at her under his hooded clothes.

She turned back to Geldis, "Why are they staring?" she said quietly.

"Well, when a pretty little thing like you shows up outta nowhere and puts up a good fight against one of the best swordsmen we know, it kinda gets you noticed," he said with a wink.

Terah ignored his compliment. "Apparently not in a very good way, though," she said before taking another bite.

"I'll have to admit, showin' off ain't very popular around here," he said as he watched her eat. "But that was impressive."

"Who says I was showin' off?" she asked after swallowing. "It was all fun, nothing more. And thank you," she said with a smile.

He smiled at her, "Teldryn's upstairs waitin' for you, by the way."

"Alright, then." She rose to her feet and dug some gold out of her coin purse. "Thank you for breakfast."

When she handed him the gold, he let his hand linger on hers for a moment. "No problem, m'lady," he said with a grin. She blushed; men hit on her all the time in Skyrim but she assumed it was just because she was famous. This man was legitimately hitting on her, which made her a little uncomfortable.

"See you around," she said while awkwardly avoiding eye contact with him as she stood up to leave.

The moment she was upstairs, she was greeted by Teldryn in the doorway, "About time. Let's go."

She rolled her eyes, "I'd like to take a look around the town, if you don't mind."

"Lead on."

* * *

"Do you know where I can find Miraak?"

Terah had asked almost the whole town about Miraak and they've all given her the same strange, distant answers.

"You're really determined to find this 'Miraak' aren't you? What's the deal?" Teldryn asked.

Sighing, she replied, "Long story short, I was attacked in Windhelm the other day. I found a note suggesting that he is in Solstheim and apparently wants me dead." Her instincts told her she could trust this man with the little information she had given him, regardless of the fact that she hasn't even seen his face yet.

"I see. But this is you're first time here, right? Why would someone from here want you dead?"

"You ask an awful lot of questions for a mercenary," she said, trying to change the subject. "I'll need to talk to the blacksmith before we head out."

Walking towards the familiar sound of a hammer on an anvil, she cleared her throat, "Excuse me."

The Breton working the forge stopped and turned to look at her. Wiping his hands on a cloth, he said, "It's nice to see a visitor come through. The name's Glover Mallory."

_Mallory. I've heard that name before._

"Mallory." she voiced as she tried to put her finger on the name, her eyes squinted in deep thought. "You're name sounds familiar."

"You don't happen to know my brother, Delvin, do you?" he asked with a smirk.

Finally, it clicked. "Delvin Mallory," she said with a nod. "Yeah."

The smith then looked around cautiously and said in a hushed voice, "So you're a member of the guild?"

"Oh, no not at all. Not really my thing," she replied with her hands raised in defense. "I've been through the Ratway, though," she said uncomfortably. "How's business out here?"

"Not at it's finest, but I manage. Say, where do you get your hands on some amor like that? Are those. . ." he trailed as he looked her up and down. "Is that made out of a dragon?"

_Oh sweet Kynareth, please don't already know that I am the dragonborn!_

"Umm, yeah. With all the dragons flying about in Skyrim it's not hard to find their scales and bones," she said casually. "I'm friends with a really good blacksmith. He made this set for me." It wasn't a lie; Eorland Gray-Mane had originally helped her design the armor, even if it was originally just meant for her. "It was incredibly expensive."

"I'd be willing to pay a fortune to get my hands on something like that," he said while still eyeing her armor with a smirk on his face.

Teldryn chimed in, "I'll admit, it is fine armor. Even if it isn't very well suited for the ash."

Terah had almost forgotten that Teldryn was with her at the moment. Remembering her objective, she asked, "Anyways, do you have any ebony arrows for sale?"

After her transaction with Glover, she and Teldryn walked down to the Earth Stone. There were several people building something around the stone, but she couldn't tell what. Something was off about the builders; their eyes were glazed over and unfocused, and it seemed like they were chanting something.

"And when the world shall listen," said a mindless man.

"And when the world shall see," said a woman just after.

_Gjalund wasn't exaggerating when he said something wasn't right here._

"You there," a voice called from behind them. The voice had come from an older Dunmer man dressed in fine red robes with golden designs on them. "You don't seem to be in the same state as the others here. Interesting. . ." he trailed while looking her up and down.

"Neither do you," Terah said to the stranger, studying him as well. "What are all these people doing here?"

Shifting uncomfortably in the presence of the stone, Teldryn began to look around at the construction site, an odd feeling he couldn't describe creeping up on him. He felt as if he had been here many times before, but in a dream, perhaps.

"Well, they're clearly building something," he said in a snarky voice. "I'm very interested to find out what happens when they finish."

"You haven't tried to stop this?" she asked.

"And miss seeing the end result of this madness? Absolutely not! It's far too fascinating," he said, eyeing the stone. "I'll continue to observe them and see how this all plays out."

"So," she started. "You somehow do not succumb to this unknown force. But instead of finding a way to help these people, you choose to _observe_ them?"

"Did I stutter?" he scoffed. "Since you're not here to build, may I ask what it is you're doing here?" he asked.

Teldryn was far too distracted to be paying attention to the conversation. An unknown force kept pulling him towards. . . something. He couldn't place a finger on it.

"I'm looking for someone named Miraak," Terah said with hope. Maybe this man has a clearer memory of him, seeing that he isn't under the influence that the rest of Raven Rock is under.

"Miraak. . . _Miraak_," he repeated. "It sounds so familiar," he said while stroking his beard.

She sighed. _Gods dammit. Not another one of these vague answers_. Terah was about ready to pull her hair out if she had to go through this again.

In that moment, Teldryn had spotted a nearby pickaxe. It was as if the pull he had been feeling focused itself purely on the axe, forcefully drawing him to it. He blankly stared at it while Terah's conversation with the man slowly faded out of his mind. _Build_. That was all he could think.

"Oh. Wait, I recall. But that makes very little sense," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Miraak's been dead for thousands of years."

"Wait. . .but. . ." she stammered, her brows furrowed together as she shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand."

Luckily, Terah had glanced over to Teldryn to stop his actions in time. He had slowly found his way over to the axe and picked it up, ready to assist in the construction. She ran over to him and smacked him on the back of the head. Hard.

"Ow, woman!" he yelled, putting his arms over his head defensively.

"Drop that!" she scolded him, yanking the axe from his hand and tossing it away from him. Grabbing by the shoulders and shaking him, she yelled in his face, "Snap out of it, Teldryn!"

"Okay, okay, I'm out of it!" he yelled back, arms up in defense.

She sighed, the worry in her chest slowly fading away. "That scared the Oblivion out of me. I can't afford to lose you to whatever this is," she said, giving his shoulders a light squeeze. "I'm going to need your help."

"I'm sorry," he said softly. His mind had become much more clear now. "I'll try not to let it happen again."

Letting go of him, Terah turned to the stranger. "How has Miraak been dead for thousands of years?"

"I'm afraid I can't give you any answers, but there are ruins of an ancient temple of Miraak near the center of the island. I'd check it out if I were you," he said as he dismissed himself to study the construction site some more.

Terah looked at the stone. She approached it and sensed an odd kind of magic radiating from it. Since she was dragonborn, there was much ancient magic within her that protected her from the stone's influence. So, she lifted a hand to touch it.

"Someone's a hypocrite," Teldryn teased from behind her.

"Trust me," she said, turning her head to glare at him. "I'm fairly certain it won't work on me. I'm just. . . curious."

"I don't feel too good about this," he said doubtfully.

She allowed herself to touch the stone. It was cold and slimy, but she didn't feel any different. "See," she said to Teldryn, her eyes never leaving the stone. "Nothing."

Suddenly, a deep, dark voice perforated through her mind. It seemed to reside within her, but surround her as well.

_Here in his shrine_

She gasped and jumped back from the stone as if her hand had caught on fire. Her eyes were wide with shock.

Teldryn was instantly by her side with his arm placed around her shoulders. With concern in his voice, "Is everything alright? What happened?"

"I. . . I heard. . ." she stammered. "I'm fine. It was him. I heard him speak. Miraak."

Wanting to hear more, Terah practically threw herself back at the stone.

_That they have forgotten. _  
_Here do we toil _  
_That we might remember._

_By night we reclaim _  
_What, by day , was stolen. _  
_Far from ourselves _  
_He grows ever near to us._

_Our eyes one were blinded _  
_Now through him do we see. _  
_Our hands once were idle _  
_Now through them does he speak._

_And when the world shall listen. _  
_And when the world shall see. _  
_And when the world remembers._

_That world will cease to be._

Removing her hand from the stone, she had a contorted look on her face as tried to make sense of what she just heard. "We need to get to that temple," she said before taking off toward the town, dragging Teldryn along behind her.

* * *

**Not everyone's dragonborn is a member of the Thieves Guild, you know. =p**


	5. Ash, Ash, and More Ash

**And now for some one-on-one time with T & T. :)**

* * *

"I'd highly appreciate it if you'd pick up your feet when you walk."

"I am picking them up!" Terah argued. "It's not my fault the dirt sucks here."

The pair had left the town and begun their journey to the Temple of Miraak. They spent most of the time so far bickering at each other over which route to take or where they should stop to rest, and apparently Terah didn't know how to read a map (according to Teldryn). There was still a good distance to travel until they would reach the temple and the night was beginning to creep up on them.

"This is not dirt," Teldryn pointed out. "This is ash."

After having another coughing fit, she looked around in disbelief. "This is all _ash_? How do you live here?" she asked incredulously.

He shrugged. "I've called Raven Rock my home for a number of years. Azura knows why," he said as he gazed out over she ashland. "It's a mess."

"Understatement," she said, rolling her eyes. "Certainly it's mostly dirt -"

"No, it's pure ash alright."

"By the nine," she deflated. "I can't breathe in this crap."

"Here." He moved to stand behind her. Confused, Terah just stood still. A black kerchief was suddenly placed over her nose and mouth, and she waited for Teldryn to tie the back. When he finished, he gave her a light pat on the back before returning to her side. "Better?"

"Much better. Thank you," she smiled with her eyes. "This really helps. It matches my outfit, too," she joked, gesturing to her armor.

"I am so stylish," he joked along with her.

She laughed. "Well I think we should set up camp soon. How far until we get to some snow?"

Folding his arms around his chest, he scoffed, "I don't wanna sleep in the damn cold."

"I don't wanna sleep in the damn ash," she countered as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Hey, if you didn't take so long chatting up the town we would've made it to the temple by now," he said playfully.

She scowled at him, "I had - OW!"

It felt like something had bit her left hand really hard. The attacker turned out to be some kind of creature that resembled an insect and was about the size of a small frostbite spider. Before Terah could even ready a spell, an Elven sword pierced straight through it, killing the little bastard.

"What was that? That hurt like the dickens!" she exclaimed as she began to slowly remove her gauntlet.

"The _what_?"

"The dickens," she paused, looking at him as if he was supposed to know what that meant. "Never mind, it's just an expression."

Shaking his head, he asked, "Where do you get these expressions from?"

Finally freeing her hand from her gauntlet, she let out a laugh, "Don't worry about it."

Although the wound was small, it was fairly deep and was bleeding heavily for its size. _The little bastards can certainly bite_._  
_

"That was an ash hopper, by the way," Teldryn said as gently grabbed her forearm and inspected the wound. "Here, that looks like it'll be easy to heal," he raised his other hand to cast a spell. "Let me help."

"Nah, I got it."

A ball of golden light instantly illuminated from her palm, and she released it onto the wound. In the blink of an eye, it healed up with no trace of a scar whatsoever.

"Wow," he sounded genuinely impressed as he ran his fingers over her hand. "For a Nord, you have a pretty good grasp on magic. I'm impressed."

"My father was a Breton," she revealed. He slowly lowered her arm, allowing his fingers to linger for a moment.

"Well that explains why you're. . . vertically challenged."

"Hush, you!" she scolded as she slapped his arm. He only laughed at her. "I am not that short."

"Oh, no. . . of course not," he said with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Little Nord."

She just glared at him, much to his amusement. He returned to the subject, "So a Breton father, and a Nord mother, I assume?"

"Yes," she said, casting her eyes down solemnly. "They were an odd couple, but they were good parents."

He thought for a moment. Teldryn didn't like to pry, but his curiosity got the best of him sometimes. "May I ask what happened to them?"

She turned to gaze over the ash wasteland before answering, "Thalmor."

He nodded. That was all she needed to tell him for him to know that they probably died horrible deaths. "I am sorry."

She gave him a weak smile, "No need to be sorry, you didn't do it. Besides, it was a long time ago." She put on her gauntlet and pointed to something ahead of them, "That looks like a decent place to set up camp."

Not a word was exchanged between them as they made their way towards an abandoned lodge. It wasn't much, but it would at least shelter them from the ashy wind. Teldryn made a fire and was cooking some ash yams he had brought along while Terah laid out the bed rolls and casted frost runes around the lodge. Once she finished, she sat down beside Teldryn and watched him cook. She hated giving people only small pieces of information, so she decided to tell him more about her parents.

"She was so _strong_," she started, glancing at Teldryn. "And man, could she fight. My mother started training me with one-handed weapons the moment I left the womb," she said with a laugh as she pulled her kerchief down.

He chuckled. "It's good to be raised with combat skills. It becomes part of you."

"Indeed," she nodded, "My father, on the other hand, was a mage. A healer."

"That explains your restoration skills."

She grabbed a nearby twig and began poking at the fire. "That was originally what I came to Skyrim for, you know. To be a healer, like my father."

"You were not born in Skyrim?" he asked as he removed the ash yams from above the fire for them to cool.

"Born, but not raised," she corrected. "I grew up in Cyrodil," she said as she threw the twig in the fire.

"I was born and raised in Blacklight. Quite a city," he revealed with pride. "Moved to Skyrim the moment I reached manhood."

The fact that he had finally told her some information about him piqued her interest more than she would expect it to. This man who had bested her was more than impressive, so she found herself wanting to know more. "What brought you to Solstheim?"

Teldryn began his story about his last patron, a "traditional" Nord whom was one of the toughest employers he ever had. He explained how he and the Nord trailed a bandit for days before reaching one of the largest bandit encampments Teldryn had ever seen. Terah simply listened to him tell the story, observing every little hand gesture he made and enjoying the pleasant sound of his raspy voice.

She proceded to ask him about Blacklight, for she had never been to Morrowind and wanted to know what it was like. Teldryn went on about his time there, and mentioned how he met Saint Jiub. This caused her to perk up. "You met Saint Jiub?" she asked incredulously.

He simply nodded.

"I met him once, too. He's quite the character, isn't he?" she said with a laugh.

"Wait, _you_ met Saint Jiub?" he asked in utter disbelief. "I think that was quite before your time. Unless you're _much_ older than I thought you were and you know some sort of secret of how to outlive Mer."

She laughed at him. "Hey, you're the one who's old if you met him when he was alive. I met his _spirit_," she clarified. Teldryn just stared at her through his goggled helmet. She waved a hand dismissively at him, "It's a long story."

"You simply _must_ tell me about it sometime."

"I will," she said with a nod. "So, how old did you think I was?"

"You want me to guess a woman's age? That's just asking for it," he joked.

She simply laughed. After a long pause with them staring at the fire, she shook her head at him, "You must be pretty damn old."

"I am _not_ old," he said in defiance.

"Whatever you say, old man," she said with a smirk.

Teldryn just shook his head and placed the bowl of cooked ash yams between them. He proceded to remove his helmet so he could eat. When Terah saw his face for the first time, she had to do a double-take. The first thing she noticed was his black mohawk, which looked surprisingly soft in contrast with his sharp, Elven features. He had some stubble along his jaw that led to more stylized facial hair around his mouth. A tattoo trailed down the middle of his lip and all the way up both sides of his face, following the high arch of his brows. His blood red eyes simply stared into the fire as he began to eat. He certainly didn't _look_ old, but he could've been two-hundred years old for all she knew. She was unashamedly staring at him with squinted eyes, causing him to raise a brow at her as he swallowed his bite.

"What? You act like you've never seen a Dunmer before," he said before turning his attention back to the yams.

"No, it's just. . ." she struggled to find the right words. "I didn't expect you to look so. . . scary."

He snorted, "If my ugly mug scares you so much, then I'll put my helmet back on."

She laughed at herself. "No, no. That came out wrong! You are far from ugly, I promise," she smiled, giving him a playful nudge. "You just look so. . . menacing."

"Are you saying you're intimidated by me?" he said with a grin.

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes before taking a bite of food.

He clutched onto his chest in feigned offense, "Why not?"

Giving him a small smile, she poked him in the chest while saying, "That's why."

He looked down to his chest, then back up at her. "I don't understand."

Terah stared off into the fire before explaining, "You may have this hard, tough exterior, and you may be deadly in combat, but you have a good heart." She smiled at him, "I don't know you very well at all, but I can see it. And I'm usually right about these things."

He was silent for a moment, before replying, "Well, I hope to help you keep such an opinion of me."

Silence overcame them for a while as they ate their yams. Teldryn never really took much interest in his employers, but this little Nord was far too intriguing. Her maturity and her rough appearance suggests that she has seen much and has a good deal of combat experience, but he could see a young woman underneath it all, and he began to genuinely wonder about her age. She also didn't seem to mind the fact that he was Dunmer; after the time he spent in the Gray Quarter in Windhelm, he experienced firsthand how Nords felt about "gray-skins."

Going back to their previous subject, Teldryn asked, "What were their names? Your parents, I mean."

Swallowing her bite, she answered, "Svira and Maniel Stoneheart." She snorted, "My father actually took my mother's surname, even though his heart was far from being made of stone."

"And your mother's _was_ made of stone?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Sometimes it seemed that way, yeah," she joked. "But no, she was a blacksmith."

He slowly nodded. "Any siblings?"

"An older sister," she nodded. "About two years older than I. Her name was Tahni."

"Tell me about her."

She grinned at him. "Goodness, you are a curious one."

He put his hands up in defense, "I'm just trying to make conversation. If you don't wanna talk about it then by all means, I'll leave you alone."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind," she said before shifting in her seating position so she could face Teldryn more. "Tahni could almost pass off as my twin, except she had red hair and brown eyes," she paused before adding, "and she was a bit taller than me."

"I figured as much," he said casually.

"Oh, will you leave me and my height alone?"

He just grinned at her. "I only jest, little Nord."

She rolled her eyes before returning to the subject, "Anyways, that girl could sing! She was a pretty good lute player, too. Sometimes I'd drum with her in her performances."

He raised a brow, "You were a bard?"

Terah just shook her head. "Not really, I was just a drummer sometimes as a hobby. I can play the lute a little bit as well, but I _cannot_ sing," she said with a laugh.

"You'll have to play for me sometime," he said, giving her an inquisitive look.

"Seriously?" she said, uncertain if he was messing with her or not.

He simply nodded.

With a big yawn, she replied, "Perhaps I will sometime." Terah suddenly noticed how tired she really was.

Noticing her sleepiness, Teldryn didn't press any further with questions. "It's getting late, so let's call it a night. I'll keep watch."

"Alright, then," she said as she stood up and stretched out her muscles. "Wake me when you get tired so I can take over."

He pointed at her armor, "I'd leave your armor on, if I were you. Just in case there's an ash spawn attack in the middle of the night."

"Ash spawn?" she said confusedly.

He smirked, "You'll see."

She just shrugged and settled into her bed roll. Once she got comfortable, she mumbled, "Goodnight, Teldryn."

Just before sleep took her, she heard him reply, "Goodnight, little Nord."

* * *

**A lot of dialogue, I know, but Teldryn's pretty talkative and they're just gettin' to know each other. I'll post a new chapter ASAP, but I'm not sure how soon that will actually be.**


	6. Buried Within

**Sweet Jesus, I am a terrible student. I keep putting off all of my work just to work on this story. You guys suck lol.  
Nah, I'm jk! This story is gettin' a pretty decent number of views (for it being my first fic and all), so those of you who are reading it, thank you! :D  
**

* * *

"What in _Oblivion_?!"

Teldryn nearly jumped out of his bedroll. He looked over to see Terah comically crouched in a combat stance with the most bewildered look he had ever seen on her face. She was scurrying around where something red hot was rising from the ash just outside the lodge.

"Ash spawn," he grumbled as he forced himself up. He summoned a flame atronach just before placing his helmet on his head and grabbing his sword.

The ashy beast had fully arisen from the ash, its fiery eyes burning hot and its breathing heavy. Terah stood fast, still crouched in her stance, and observed it with a mixture of fascination and confusion as she took in its appearance. Teldryn ran straight for it, skillfully slashing and stabbing the creature until it was quickly reduced back to nothing but a pile of ash. A frost rune exploded just behind them, causing them to turn and see that two more were headed their direction.

Terah readied for a shout, but quickly caught herself. _That'd certainly freak him out_. Teldryn had nearly defeated the two ash spawn already, so she finished them off with a single frost storm spell.

He sheathed his sword and turned to face her, "You take far too long to assess the situation."

She just shrugged. "I didn't know what it was," she stated in her defense. She couldn't really come up with a good excuse as to why she hesitated. It was going to be difficult to avoid shouting in front of him.

Suddenly, he burst into throaty laughter. Not having the slightest clue as to what he could be laughing at, Terah just rose a brow at him. "What in the name of Julianos is so funny?"

"You should've seen your face!"

She scoffed, "There is nothing wrong with my face!"

His laughter subsided. "I know there isn't," he said as he walked over towards her, his atronach following closely behind. "You're very fortunate to have such a fine swordsman in your company, you know. I can't imagine how you would've handled that on your own."

She just moved her mouth to one side and shook her head at him. Terah knew she could handle herself in combat fairly well, yet she never felt the need to brag about it or defend herself when people said otherwise. She tended to give people the first impression that she was slow or incompetent, but would always end up proving them otherwise.

_I'll just have to prove myself. In time._

Teldryn's atronach did a little backflip, drawing Terah's attention to her. She stared at Terah with fiery eyes, almost daring her to make a move against Teldryn. Terah always found flame atronachs to be so beautiful and graceful in their own way.

"You know," she started, her eyes never leaving the flaming beauty. "I could never really get the hang of conjuration."

Teldryn looked at his conjured guardian, then back at Terah. "I wouldn't expect you to."

The atronach vanished before their eyes, leaving them standing there, staring at nothing. "C'mon," Terah said, looking over at Teldryn. "Let's get to that temple."

They proceded to pack up and gather their belongings in silence before making the final stretch to the temple.

* * *

_Dragon skeletons? This can't be a good sign._

They had made it to the temple only to find that it was under heavy construction. About a dozen people were monotonously chanting and building around the temple, just like the victims at the Earth Stone.

Terah was beginning to become concerned about her companion. "Teldryn, I swear by the Divines if you even _think_ about -"

"Relax. I'm fine," he said with a dismissive hand. "I don't plan on taking up construction anytime soon."

"Good," she said, looking around the temple. Amidst the chanting, she swore she heard a voice. A _sane_ voice.

"Please! We must leave this place!"

Terah and Teldryn exchanged a glance before rushing towards the sound of the female voice.

"Ysra, can you hear me?! You must leave this place!"

The voice was coming from a female Nord dressed in steel armor that Terah didn't recognize. She was shaking another woman in a poor attempt to pull her out of her trance.

"I don't think there's anything you can do," Terah said softly.

The woman spun around and spotted her. "What brings you here?" she asked, eyeing Teldryn as well.

"We're just here to help," Terah said kindly. "How are you not in the same state as the others?"

She was a bit hostile towards the two of them, but Terah couldn't blame her. Grasping onto the amulet around her neck as if her life depended on it, she hesitantly replied, "There aren't many of us left on the island who have not been taken by this horrible influence. My father protects the few of us who are left, and I fashioned this amulet to guard me." A hint of sorrow was in her eyes as she looked around at her friends. "I'm not sure what this is, but it forces people to forget themselves and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones. The very land itself."

Terah nodded, "I noticed that with the Earth Stone, but there were still quite a few people out and about in Raven Rock when we left. Thankfully."

The woman just looked at her sympathetically before saying, "I doubt they will be there when you return. Whatever this is, it's taken control over most of the people of Solstheim. It has become more powerful than ever."

With this, Teldryn sighed. She gave him a look, knowing what was wrong. She was equally concerned about the citizens of Raven Rock, regardless of the fact that most of them hadn't taken much of a liking to her. "This," he started, "is much worse than I thought."

Terah placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know how unsettling this is," she started softly. She had trouble trying to figure out what she wanted to say to him. "But if this is true, then I am _really_ going to need you to stay in your right mind. We have to stay strong."_  
_

He just nodded.

Terah brought her hand back down to her side before turning to the Nord woman. "I am Terah, by the way. And this is Teldryn," she said, gesturing toward the chitin-clad man next to her.

"I am Frea of the Skaal," she said, a little more relaxed. "My father, Storn, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim. But that is impossible."

"It's true," Terah confirmed. "This 'Miraak' tried to have me killed, and I strongly believe that he is the one behind all of this."

Hearing this, Frea gained a little more confidence, "Then you and I both have reason to see what lies beneath." She gazed upon her friends. "If I cannot save my people, I will make sure to avenge them."

"We don't know what we may find inside," Teldryn warned. "I suggest we proceed with caution."

"I'm right with you," Terah replied. "Let's go."

They were interrupted by a sudden flurry of shock magic aimed in their direction. Terah saw two masked mages ascend from the temple, and immediately recognized who they were. The trio drew their weapons and quickly took care of the mages before they could even make it ten feet from the temple.

Terah walked over to one of the cultists they had just killed, analyzing the body.

"Friends of yours?" Teldryn asked.

"They," she started, "Look just like the bastards that tried to kill me in Windhelm."

Frea looked over at the dead cultist, "We will probably run into more of them within. Keep your guard up."

As they made their way down into the temple, Frea spoke of the ways of the Skaal, of how they serve the All-Maker and live as one with nature. Terah admired the peaceful ways of the Skaal, and felt remorse knowing she would never be able to live such a life herself.

She thought of how Frea mentioned that her father knew about Miraak, so she figured she'd try to get some information about him. "What do you know about Miraak?"

"Well, I know that his story is about as old as Solstheim itself. He served the dragons as a priest in their order before their fall from power," Frea explained. "But he went against them. He chose his own path, and his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."

Terah mulled over the information. She still had no idea as to why exactly he wanted her dead, but at least she found a common denominator: Dragons. But no matter how hard she thought about it, she still didn't have a clue. She was terrible with things like this.

"I still don't get it," Teldryn piped. "Why would an ancient dragon priest rebel, who has supposedly been dead for hundreds of years, want some little Nord woman dead?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I didn't mean it that way," he defended while putting his arms up in front of him. "But seriously. What did you do to earn such a bounty on your head?"

"I've done nothing, thank you very much," she said, giving him a nudge. This made her think about the things she actually had done. _Is it because I defeated Alduin? Is Miraak upset about that or what?_ She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head, but her mind was racing.

The trio made their way further into the temple and made a left at the end of a narrow hallway. Three more cultists awaited them in the room that followed, but they proved to be no threat. Terah had been leading the way, so she charged towards the closest one and decapitated him with one swing of her sword. She immediately spun around and shot a well-aimed ice spike at the cultist on the other side of the room, piercing him in his abdomen and almost instantly killing him. The last one was about to strike her with a dagger, but before he could execute his attack, she elbowed him hard in the face, causing him to fall on his back. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, she downwardly impaled him straight through his heart. It all happened so fast, and left both Frea and Teldryn behind her speechless.

"Well, wasn't that quite the show," Teldryn said to her, obviously pleased. "I knew you could fight well, but I haven't seen anything like _that_ from you."

Terah couldn't hide the satisfied smile that crept on her face. "I'll leave some for you next time," she teased.

All he could do was shake his head at her. He had taken a liking to this little Nord.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Frea asked beside him, astounded by her performance.

She just shrugged. "Training."

"I'm glad to finally be travelling with someone who's competent," said Teldryn.

Terah flashed him a smile. "You too, friend."

As they descended further into the temple, they only ran into a few more cultists. They stumbled upon trap after trap, searched for numerous hidden switches, and eventually came across a seemingly endless flow of Draugr, which kept them very busy. Terah and Teldryn would light them up in a sea of flames, while Frea would attack with her sword. The three of them made a pretty damn good team.

While walking down yet another corridor, Terah unexpectedly stopped dead in her tracks, causing Teldryn to walk right into her.

"What's wrong?" Frea asked with concern.

She could hear it, the barbaric chanting._ A Word wall. Son of a -_

Spinning her around, Teldryn snapped her out of her thought. He had both hands on her shoulders, looking her square in the face. "Don't tell me we've lost you to whatever's controlling the island," he said, almost sounding irritated.

"No, I'm fine," she said lamely. "Sorry."

Frea just shrugged it off and made her way to the next room. Teldryn stood fast, his arms folded across his chest. Terah couldn't see his eyes, but she knew he was glaring at her from behind his goggles. She chose to ignore him and followed Frea.

The chanting was loud now, and the wall was in her sight. It called to her, drew her in, and it was so difficult to resist. She tried to focus on something else. Anything. She awkwardly began to search around the room, digging through chests and urns for anything valuable.

"You mind telling us what has you acting so. . . strange?" Teldryn asked from behind her. There was no fooling him.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Nothing. There's just something I have to do."

So, she approached the wall. Light illuminated from one of the Words and found its way to her, the chanting in her ears now almost deafening. Knowledge pulsated through her body and into her very core, filling her mind with a single word: _Mul_. Terah focused on the power from the dragon souls within her and channeled it into this new Word in an attempt to fully understand it as the Dov would.

_Mul_ simply meant "strength," but this Word felt different compared to others. She experienced a similar feeling with the Dragonrend Shout. Dragonrend felt so mortal compared to the other Shouts, but this Word was quite the opposite. It felt far more closer to Dovah than any Word she had ever learned.

"What the - ?"

Teldryn's bewilderment was interrupted by loud rumbling as the entire room began to violently shake. "Brace yourselves!" Frea shouted above the noise. Seeing the walls lined with ancient caskets, Terah already had an idea of what was to come. Draugr.

One by one, the lids of the caskets slammed onto the ground. The draugr within them stepped out, growling at the three mortals. Terah surrounded them with a large wall of fire while Frea and Teldryn prepared to fight. "Come on!" she yelled with ferocity, daring the draugr to enter the fiery circle. Surely enough, they were so foolish as to charge in after them. The three of them stood their ground and covered each others backs as they hacked and slashed the draugr back to death. The fact that all of them caught fire made it much easier to take them down.

"How many more restless dead must we run into?" Teldryn asked in an irritated tone, looking around at the lifeless bodies sprawled across the room. The two women were far too exhausted to reply.

"Look," Terah said as she hustled over to an open casket. "Theres a door here. And I bet," she started as she crouched down at the dead body nearest to her. "That this guy here has the key." Surely enough, after a short search, she triumphantly rose a hand into the air, showing them a large key.

The doorway led them into a dark, erie part of the temple. It was unnervingly silent and the atmosphere chilled them to the bone. They progressed deeper and deeper into the seemingly bottomless temple, Frea leading the way. As they tread down a narrow and dark tunnel, Terah began to wonder how far underground this damned place actually ran.

As if he read her mind Teldryn voiced, "Are we ever going to find the bottom of this wretched place?"

Frea answered the question for both of them. "I think we just found it."

The tunnel led to a small, circular room with an orange glow. The light radiated from above a pedestal in the center of the room, which revealed intricate patterns on the stone floor. Mesmerized by the sight, Terah slowly walked up towards the pedestal to find a large, black book upon it.

Peering over her shoulder, Teldryn warned, "There are dark magics at work here."

"Something's off about that book," Frea added. "It seems. . . here. But not."

"I know what you mean," Terah said as she took the risk of picking it up. It felt deathly cold, and an inexplainable evil radiated from it. She slowly opened the cover, finding the title of the book. "Waking Dreams," she announced.

Frea gasped beside her, "What are you doing? That book drips with evil."

"I think it is unwise to read the book," Teldryn agreed. "It _can't_ be good for you."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Terah asked. "Believe me, I don't like it either, but we didn't come all this way for nothing. I have a feeling I'll find answers within."

She turned the page and allowed her eyes to run over the words. Her vision began to blur and her ears started to painfully throb. The last thing she could remember seeing was a large tentacle sprouting from the book, wrapping around her neck and pulling her into the pages before her vision went completely black.

Terah had become completely ethereal, blankly reading the pages of the book and completely unaware of Frea and Teldryn's presence. Unsettled, Frea tried yelling at her, tried shaking her, but she had become intangible.

"Yes," Teldryn sighed. "_Definitely_ not good for you."

* * *

Her vision was slowly coming back into focus. Fatigued by the dreadful experience, she tried to set her mind straight and make sense of whatever in Oblivion just happened. A male voice could be heard not too far away, but the voice almost didn't sound real. It didn't sound completely human.

Just as her vision fully cleared, she barely caught the figure of a person before being struck in the gut with a spell. She let out an "ooph!" before dropping to her hands and knees, unable to move.

"Who are you to dare set foot here?" said the inhuman voice. Willing herself to look up, she spotted a masked man. He took two slow, deliberate steps toward her. "Ahhh," he started, eyeing her. "You are dragonborn. I can feel it. And yet. . ."

Another pause. Odd creatures with slimy brown skin hovered around him, their faces disturbingly resembling the man's mask. The sky (or whatever it was) was tinted a yellowish green and numerous loose papers spiraled around in the air. A peculiar looking dragon had landed just behind the man, but it made no move to attack.

"So you have slain Alduin," he almost sounded impressed.

"Well done. I could have slain him myself when I walked the earth. But I chose a different path." He said as he gestured to his surroundings before turning his attention back to her. "You have no idea of the true power a dragonborn can wield."

He Shouted. "_**Mul Qah Diin!**_" White-gold light formed over his body, creating protective armor that reminded her of the dragon armor she had forged for herself. It was the full shout of the Word she had just learned.

Panic was slowly rising in her chest. Any form of speech evaded her, for she was still stuck on her hands and knees and was partially in shock. She struggled to wrap her mind around what was happening, but now she knew the truth. _Miraak is dragonborn. Now it all makes sense_.

"This realm is beyond you. You have no power here. And it is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine." He began to pace back and forth in front of her. "I already control the minds of its people. Soon, they will finish building my temple, and I can return home."

The other dragonborn made an about face and called over his shoulder to his assistants. "She can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel."

The wretched creatures made unearthly sounds as they moved to either side of Terah. They relentlessly struck her over and over with sickening bursts of dark magic, causing her to cry out in pain with each strike. _Move! Get up, dammit!_

No matter how hard she tried to fight, she could not move from her position. The pain was becoming unbearable as bile rose through her throat and found its way out of her mouth. Her vision was beginning to fade again, but before she let the darkness take her, she could've sworn she saw Miraak mount the dragon and ride it off into the venomous sky.

* * *

Terah's body was tangible once more, and she was back in the temple with the book in her hands. The moment she returned, she collapsed onto the floor. The pain, whatever those nasty creatures did to her, returned with her.

Frea gasped, and she and Teldryn were instantly at her side. Terah seized uncontrollably, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fright. Teldryn gave it his all with a healing spell, but his restoration skills were rather weak. A black liquid oozed out of her mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and gods know where else. Her screams were muffled by the liquid pouring out of her mouth, and she desperately clutched onto her companions.

For the first time in a very long time, Terah was scared out of her mind.

"I- I can't heal others very well," he stammered, his hands shakily hovering over her body. Terah lurched upward and turned her body over to face the ground. She horridly puked up a two-foot tentacle, gasping for air when it escaped from her throat. All Frea could do was stare, horrified.

Teldryn was about to lose it. He grabbed Frea by the collar, yelling in her face, "Do something!"

"I don't know!" she panicked, putting her hands out in front of her. "We'll take her to my father. He can help!"

The black ooze was no longer leaking from her body. Now, it was blood. Terah was growing pale with blood loss, and her screaming reduced to silent cries and gasps for air.

He growled, "We don't have the time, _N'wah_! She's not going to make it!"

"It's all we can do!" she exclaimed as she rose to her feet. "Come! There looks to be a way out here."

Teldryn scooped Terah up into his arms and they ran as fast as they could, weaving their way out of the damned temple. He looked down at the little Nord in his arms, and he knew that this moment would probably haunt his dreams forever. She almost looked like an innocent little girl, shivering and clutching onto the chitin plates on his chest. The unrelenting fear and dispair in her bloody blue eyes was unlike anything he had ever seen in his entire lifetime.

"Come on, Terah," he whispered. "We can make it. We're gonna make it."

He lost track of how many times he repeated that to himself as they ran all the way to Skaal Village without stopping.

* * *

**My, that was longgg. I know I repeated a lot of in-game dialogue, but I really didn't feel comfortable changing it. My apologies if I bored anyone to death.**

**I really wanted to make the black book much more gruesome ;) Obviously she's not going to die, or else that'd make a pretty lame story lol.**


	7. Positively Sweltering

**Soo. . . I've decided to write a prequel to this story. It'll start off at Helgen and Terah will go on to discover she's dragonborn and whatnot. However, I will not start on it until this one is finished, so it'll be a while before that happens. Hopefully my dragonborn isn't totally lame, because I wouldn't wanna waste the effort writing it lol.**

* * *

Cold. _Unbearably_ cold.

Terah's eyes slowly fluttered open. A wooden ceiling filled her vision, which in turn filled her mind with confusion.

_Where am I? How did I get here?_

The events of the black book shot back into her memory, and her heart started to race. She tried to sit up, but found herself only being pulled back down by the heavy force of gravity. She noticed that she was wrapped in warm furs in a bed that was in the corner of a large, highly furnished room. She was also, much to her horror, as naked as the day she was born.

"Good, you are awake."

She turned her head to see a brunette woman approach the bed, a warm smile on her pretty face. "I knew you would come around."

Terah did her best to prop herself on her elbows. "Where am I?"

The woman put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, pressing her back down onto the bed. "You are in the Greathall of Skaal Village. I am Finna."

"Why am I naked?"

Finna giggled. "We bathed you. You were quite in need of it."

She cringed at the thought, not wanting to think about who has possibly seen her naked. Now aware of her wet hair stuck to her skin, she breathed, "I'm so cold."

"I know," said Finna sympathetically. "Just relax while I go let the others know that you are awake."

Terah was left with the sound of footsteps followed by squeaky door hinges, and finally, silence. She let out a heavy sigh; this Solstheim problem is much larger than anyone could understand. She knew she would need to tell her companions who she really was, and she most certainly was not looking forward to it.

The sound of squeaky door hinges filled the room once again, and Terah could hear two pairs of footsteps. She saw Finna move to the fire pit, and the heavier pair of footsteps walked right up to the side of her bed.

It was Teldryn. He said nothing, and only looked her over before letting out a deep sigh. His helmet was missing, so she could see pursed lips and a hint of concern in his dark eyes.

Finna appeared at Teldryn's side. "Here," she said as she removed her outer furs, leaving her with nothing but thin underclothes on. "You need to stay warm."

She proceded to get under the covers with her, making sure not to expose her body to the man in the room. Finna was sitting up and wrapped her arms around Terah's shoulders, pulling her close. It made her a bit uncomfortable, but the woman was kind and didn't seem to care. Plus, her body heat was definitely helping.

Teldryn had grabbed a chair and was bringing it back to the side of the bed. Once he sat down, he finally spoke up, "You look a little worse for wear, but I'm glad to see you're alive. How are you feeling?"

"I don't have the faintest idea of how to describe how I'm feeling," she answered feebly. "I feel as if I am near death, yet I know I'm not going to die. It's like I'm trapped an inch away from death. Does that make sense?"

"I suppose it does," he answered quietly, casting down his eyes. She couldn't quite read the expression on his face.

"I saw Miraak."

Both he and Finna snapped their heads to look at her. "You saw him?" they asked in unison.

"Yes," she sighed. "He wants to return and take over Solstheim. But I guess you could've figured that out on your own." She paused before asking, "Where's Frea?"

"Frea is outside," Finna answered next to her. "She is helping her father with our protective barrier. It shields us from Miraak's influence."

"Where did you see him?" Teldryn asked, returning to the subject.

"I don't know. When I read the book, it took me somewhere. That's where I saw him. Teldryn. . ." she shook her head, "It's bad. It's really bad."

His brows furrowed, "What is it?"

"He isn't just some dragon priest," she explained. "He's dragon_born_. And he is more powerful than you can imagine. This is on a much larger scale. . ." Her eyes started to water, but she immediately blinked it away. Terah never thought of herself as being high and mighty, but she did indeed believe that she was _very_ powerful. Her encounter with Miraak, however, gave her a reality check. Now, she felt downright weak and pathetic.

"Dragonborn, hm?" Teldryn pondered as he stroked his chin.

"This is big news. Our Shaman should know about this," Finna said as she slid out from underneath the covers. She gave a quick, "I will return," before heading outside.

"Well," Teldryn started. "If you wanna head for Skyrim, I'm right with you. I've spent enough time on Solstheim to last a _lifetime_," he drawled.

"Why would we go to Skyrim?" Terah asked with a shiver. Finna's absence left her feeling awfully cold again.

He raised a brow at her, "To contact the dragonborn, of course. If what you say is true, then I'm sure the almighty 'Hero of Skyrim' should know about it."

_Oh, by the gods. Now I really have to tell him._

Setting her worry aside, she asked, "You know about the dragonborn?" She was curious to know how much the people of Solstheim actually knew.

"Oh, yes," he drawled. "I've heard of many 'mighty deeds' the dragonborn has been so 'brave' to carry out, but it could all just be Nord talk," he said, rolling his eyes. "I don't actually know anything credible about her. All I know is that she's a woman."

Slowly nodding her head, she struggled to hide how offended she was. Teldryn obviously didn't have a very high opinion of the dragonborn, which made her even more nervous about telling him. For the first time in a long time, Terah had made a friend that accepted her for who she was as a person. Revealing her true identity would change everything, and Teldryn may not want anything to do with her anymore.

"Well, I can tell you this," she paused as she debated on what she would tell him. "The dragonborn is indeed a Nord woman. She's powerful, but Miraak has the upper hand. I'm certain of that." That's all she needed to tell him for the moment.

He scoffed. "Figures."

All Terah could do was sigh, unsure of why she cared so much about keeping this new found friend of hers. _This is going to be difficult_.

Teldryn turned his attention to her face. He unashamedly studied it for a moment, leaving Terah slightly uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. "Why don't you paint a picture? It'll last longer."

He chuckled, and she found warmth in his smile. "I can see it now. The bit of Mer in you," he clarified.

She pathetically waved a dismissive hand, "I _hardly_ have Mer in me. If any at all."

"I can see it," he said with a nod. From the small smile on his face, Terah figured he considered this a good thing. "It's just a small shadow in your features, but it's there."

With a weak laugh, she joked, "It's funny how you notice Mer in me when I look like a pile of horker crap."

This provoked another chuckle out of him. "You don't look too bad, considering what you've been through. And it's not so much in your appearance, but more in the way you handle magic."

"Anyone can use magic with a bit of practice."

He just shook his head. "Magic doesn't come so easily to Nords. From what I've seen from you, one could easily mistake you as Mer."

She didn't really know what to say to that. Coming from him, she supposed it was meant as a compliment. He was basically telling her that he considered her as one of his own kind, and she was flattered by the notion.

"Fine," he shrugged. "Don't accept the compliment."

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling herself from her thoughts. "I just don't really know what to say. I'm flattered."

"Normal people say 'thank you.'"

She pathetically slapped him on the shoulder. "I am normal!" she exclaimed, but she knew that was a lie. Sighing, she corrected herself, "No, that's not true. I am far from normal."

This was a small window of opportunity to tell him the truth, but every force in her body kept her from doing so. She couldn't really figure out why. Teldryn seemed to notice her discomfort and sat there patiently, as if he was waiting for her to voice her thoughts. The silence that fell between them was interrupted by the familiar sound of squeaky hinges. This time, Frea had come inside to check on her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked warmly.

"Still terribly cold, but I'll manage I suppose," Terah answered with a shiver. She had been trying to ignore it, but she was still chilled to the bone, and it was starting to really get on her nerves.

Frea looked Teldryn square in the face. "Your blood runs hot. I think it is best for you to keep her warm for the night."

_Seriously, Frea?_

"Uhhh," Terah started. Teldryn rose a brow and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "I am totally putting clothes on first."

Frea just let out a laugh. "Of course. I have clothes for you."

Teldryn found his way to the other side of the room to leave the women some privacy as Frea helped her put some clothes on. He could hear Terah scoff, "You call these clothes?"

Frea replied with, "The less you wear under the covers the warmer you will be. I promise."

He just smirked and shook his head as he removed his trademark chitin armor and dropped it in a careless pile on the floor. Once Terah was decent, he returned to the side of the bed.

Teldryn was down to black cloth pants and a light shirt. It was odd to see him without his chitin armor for the first time, and she found herself considering him to be more on the handsome side. Frea had insisted that she wear nothing but her small clothes, but Terah convinced her to at least give her a pair of thin cloth shorts.

"Now, both of you get some rest," said Frea as she moved to leave. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

And with that, Teldryn and Terah were left alone for the night.

He grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, exposing his bare, gray chest. Terah found that most mer were on the slender and toned side, but Teldryn was much more muscular than she would've expected. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide her blush; being around attractive men was no problem for her, but she actually had to share a bed with this man. Half naked.

_Stendarr's mercy. What did I do to deserve this?_

Grinning from ear to ear, he teased, "Look at you. You're warming up already."

She merely scowled at him. "Shut it, Teldryn. As much as I value my modesty, we're both adults here," she said before scooting over to make room for him. With a wave of her hand she beckoned him, "Get in here."

He smirked as he got under the covers. "At least there's some color in you now. I don't think I've ever seen a human being look so pale."

The moment his gray skin made contact with hers, it almost felt as if her skin was on fire. "By Ysmir, you _are_ warm." She relished the intense heat radiating off of his body, and suddenly she wasn't so uncomfortable with him anymore.

"And you are an iceberg."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him so she could bury her frozen face in his chest. He smelled of fire and ash, but it was a much more appealing compared to the smell of the ash scattered across the island. It had a hint of something else that she couldn't put her finger on. Terah didn't expect him to be so comfortable with their proximity, but she quickly reminded herself that he is indeed male. Of course he isn't going to mind lying in bed with a half naked woman.

"You seem tense."

She let out a laugh. "And you seem far too comfortable."

"Should I not be?" he asked. "I dislike seeing you ill. I'm just doing my best to help."

Teldryn may not have seemed like it at first, but he was surprisingly kind in his own way. He just wasn't very forthright about it. Unable to form a reply, she wondered, "How long have I been out?"

"A little over a day."

"What?!" she snapped, leaning back to look at him in the face. "No. . ."

"Yes," he confirmed.

The way his blood red eyes bored into hers, almost reading through to her very soul, was unnerving. It drove her crazy how he seemed to be at ease with their predicament, so she settled back down into his chest, not wanting to have to look at him in the eyes. "You could've gone back to Raven Rock, you know."

He chuckled, "And just leave you here? What kind of a man would that make me? Besides, you heard Frea. There probably isn't anyone left."

She sighed. "I hope there's something we can do about this."

"As do I. But for now, get some rest. And please, avoid throwing up on me," said as he shifted a little to get more comfortable.

Smiling into his chest, she replied. "I will."

Silence. All that could be heard was the crackle of the fires lit around the room. Sleep evaded her, for there was far too much on her mind to allow herself to rest. Teldryn must've sensed her restlessness because he started to quietly hum. The tune was unfamiliar to her, but she found herself comforted by his deep baritone voice, the soft rumble in his chest lulling her to sleep.

* * *

**Awwww how sweet.**


	8. Secrets Make Friends

**Bah! Sorry it took so long to update. I was LOADED with finals and research papers, but now I am ALL DONE. :D**** It took me a while to get back into the story, but now I have all the time in the world and will update much more often. :)**

* * *

"Terah."

Being stirred from her sleep, she could feel a soft hand gently rubbing her arm. "Terah, wake up."

She fluttered her eyes open to see Finna standing over her. Teldryn was gone, but there was still plenty of warmth under the covers. "Mornin'," she muttered as she arched her back and stretched out her limbs.

Finna flashed her a smile, "More like afternoon."

Terah shot her an incredulous look, "Seriously?" She rolled her eyes and sighed. "I need to get up."

The kind Skaal woman assisted her with getting dressed and putting her armor back on. Terah was a little shaky, but she was feeling _much_ better. Some hot soup was cooking above the fire pit, which she was really looking forward to eating.

"Do you think your stomach can handle some soup?" Finna asked as she stirred the contents of the pot.

"Oh, yes," she nodded vigorously. "I'm _starving_. But don't worry, I'll take it slow."

Words could not explain how grateful she was when Finna brought her the hot soup. She was unsure of what ingredients were in it, but she didn't care. After she carefully finished eating, Finna escorted her outside.

The cold, crisp air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath. There was hardly any ash on this part of the island, if any, so she reveled the clean air. Teldryn was sharpening his sword at the abandoned forge to her left, while Frea and two other men were on their knees in a circle just a few feet away from her. They appeared to be greatly focused on a magical wind that rose up high into the swirling sky, which Terah assumed to be their protective barrier. The older of the two men stood up and Finna took his place.

As he walked towards her, he introduced himself, "I am Storn, the Shaman of the Skaal. It is important that I speak with you privately." He gingerly placed a hand on her upper back. "Come, let us walk."

The Shaman guided her away from what was left of the village. Teldryn observed the two as they slowly walked down the northern path and disappeared out of sight.

* * *

They gazed over the island, the Wind Stone visible in the distance. Terah received an unsettling vibe from Storn, but she couldn't explain what it was. She sensed that he knew many things, and perhaps some of those things were particularly important in their situation.

"So you have seen things, yes?"

Terah confirmed him with a nod. The man's face was a map of the world, covered in wrinkles and gray facial hair. His eyes shone with wisdom, and his soft voice carried much authority and assertion.

"My magic grows weak, and so does the barrier around our village. Time is short. Tell me what you know."

Sighing, she explained, "I'm sure the others told you that I saw Miraak. I read a book in the temple and it took me somewhere. That's where he was."

Storn looked weary. "Legends speak of terrible battles at the temple, and of dragons burning it to the ground in rage."

"I can't say I really blame them."

He gave her a peculiar look. "Legends also speak of something buried within. Something even worse than dragons, but that is difficult to imagine." He reached into his coat and pulled out the wretched black book. Frea must have taken the book with her before they left the temple in order to show it to him. Running his fingers over the evil designs on the cover, he explained, "If this is all true, then what I feared has come to pass. Miraak was never truly gone."

Terah remained silent as she respectfully listened to the man speak. After gazing over to the Wind Stone where his people were enslaved, the Shaman looked deep into her eyes, making her feel incredibly vulnerable.

"We cannot protect ourselves forever. You must go to Saering's Watch," he commanded. "Learn there the word that Miraak learned long ago, and use that knowledge on the Wind Stone."

Her eyes widened, "How did you - ?"

"My daughter tells me that he wants you dead," he interrupted. "It is not difficult to put the pieces together. Miraak is the first dragonborn, and you are the last."

She slowly smiled. "You are truly a wise man." There was a long pause as they watched the hopeless villagers at the Wind Stone, before she finally asked, "What do you think it means if we're both dragonborn?"

With another look into her eyes, he cautiously attempted to read her. "It may mean that you could save us, or it may mean that you could bring about our destruction."

"I wouldn't dare be like him."

A small smile formed on his face. "Only you will be able to break the hold on our people."

Returning the smile, she promised, "I'll do my best."

* * *

The main doors of the Greathall opened, and he saw the little Nord standing in the doorway, unaccompanied. He was sitting at the table against the wall to her right, and he continued to read a book that he picked out from one of the shelves until she made her announcement.

"Good news," she said as she sat down across from him. "There's a good chance that I can help these people."

Teldryn looked up from his book with a raised brow. "How so?"

"I'll need to go to Saering's Watch." She cocked her mouth to one side before adding, "You, on the other hand, will stay here."

The book in his hands was snapped shut. "You think I'm going to let you go alone?"

"Yes. It shouldn't be too dangerous." That was a lie. She recognized the shape on her map, and inferred that the word wall was out in the open as opposed to being hidden in a tomb. No dragon leaves a Word Wall unguarded, so she was well aware that she would most likely end up battling a dragon. Not only did she want to avoid revealing herself to him, but she didn't want him to end up getting killed either. As good as he was, he was inexperienced with dragons.

"Of course it'll be dangerous," he rolled his eyes. "This village is basically the only _non-_dangerous place on the island right now."

A dismissive hand waved in his face, "Eh, it'll be fine. Besides, you need to stay within the barrier so you can be protected."

His brows furrowed, "Why do you insist on traveling alone?"

"Why do you insist on pestering me?"

"Could you at least wait until tomorrow?"

Getting frustrated, she smacked her hand on the table. "No, dammit. I _can't_ wait until tomorrow. Who knows how much worse it's going to get?" She got on her feet and turned to exit the Greathall before calling over her shoulder, "Don't worry, you'll still get paid."

She heard him rise from his chair behind her. "That's not what I'm concerned about."

But she was already out the door, journeying back down the northern path. With a heavy sigh, he pursued. He wasn't going to let this stubborn little Nord go get herself killed. "You know, I didn't think you to be a fool at first. It seems I've been proven wrong."

"I am no fool."

"Look at you, you're still recovering from that book incident."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. It caused her to falter a bit on her shaky legs, which only emphasized his point. She feigned a smile, "Aw, how sweet. You care about me."

Ignoring her mockery, he reasoned, "Aren't you concerned that _you_ will fall under the island's control?"

Shaking her head, she was starting to get irritated. "No. In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't work on me."

"And why is that, hm?" He glared at her accusingly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Do tell."

Now, she was fully irritated, and made no effort in hiding it. "Oblivion if I know, Teldryn!" she spat before turning back around and walking away from him.

"You dubious little Nord," he retaliated with equal irritation.

"You nosy-ass Dunmer."

"You're hiding something, it's only obvious."

She spun around once more, a wild look of anger in her icy glare. "Dammit, Teldryn, I hired you for a reason!" she snapped as she shoved her hand in her pack. A handful of gold retracted from it. "I'll even pay you extra just to get you to _shut up_!" she spat as she threw it all at his feet, making him flinch.

With a growl, he snatched a fistful of gold off of the snowy ground and stormed after her. He roughly grabbed her wrist and spun her around so her face was inches away from his, before saying through gritted teeth, "You really know how to make a man feel _special_." His voice dripped with raw anger, but there was unmistakable hurt in his eyes. A mixture of gold and snow was shoved into her chest, nearly knocking her over. "Keep your damn gold."

And with that, he stormed off back to the Greathall, leaving the little Nord standing there feeling guilty and ashamed.

She couldn't rationalize her actions, because she honestly had no clue why she snapped. This was an ugly side of her, and she didn't like it one bit. Closing her eyes, Terah took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She buried her face in her cold hands, trying her hardest to keep herself together.

_What is wrong with me? I am a terrible person. A terrible, terrible person._

* * *

The door opened behind him, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He knew who it was, and he wasn't exactly elated to see her.

Some time had passed, but he wasn't sure how long it had been since their little spat. Teldryn had resorted to reading the book he started earlier in a poor effort to get his mind off of things. As he turned the page, he could hear her soft footsteps approaching him.

A small, feminine cough sounded in the room, but it received no response as he continued to read nonchalantly. Finally, she spoke softly to him, "Teldryn, will you stand up, please?"

He pulled his attention away from the book and rose a brow at her. "Please?" she repeated. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, so he complied.

Much to his surprise, a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection, and the little Nord was pressed up against his chitin armor. "I'm sorry," she said solemnly into his chest.

All he could do was sigh. There was no way he could stay upset with her forever. So, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her shoulders. It wasn't much of a hug since their armor was bulky and prevented them from actually feeling each other's bodies, but he was still touched by it, in a way.

After a short moment, she pulled away. Due to their height difference, she had to cock her head back to look up at him, her eyes swimming with remorse. "That was awful of me. It was downright demeaning and I'm sorry. I'm such a bi-"

"No," he softly stopped her. "Don't start with that."

"But it's true," she said burying her face in her hands once again. "I'm a horrible person and a terrible friend to you."

"That's not true."

She let her hands drop to her sides. "Yes it is. Don't argue with me," she scolded him, almost as if he was a child.

He shushed her by pressing a gray finger to her mouth, and surprised himself by slowly smiling down at her. "It's alright."

The smile was contagious, as it provoked a smile out of Terah as well. She still wasn't used to his smile yet. It was far too bright and warm in contrast with his dark features.

"Come. I know what we can do to kill some time," he said as he guided her towards the door.

"What?"

He gave her a smirk, "I'm going to show you a thing or two about conjuration."

* * *

_Crack!_

"Ow! That one hurt me this time," Terah exclaimed as she shook out her throbbing hand. They were just outside of the village, and Terah had tried to conjure an atronach several times now.

"You're trying too hard." He grabbed her hand and held it up. "Don't be so violent with casting the spell. You look like you're trying to chuck it at something. Be firm and let it flow from your palm." He formed a gray fist over her ivory one and guided her through the motion. "_Toss_ the spell. But do it with vigor."

She sighed. "Good gods, this is frustrating. I've done this before."

He let go of her. "Then do it again."

"Easier said than done, Teldryn." She readied herself for another cast. "Don't chuck it, toss it. _Toss_ the spell," she murmured to herself. Finally, she moved her arm outward exactly how Teldryn taught her, allowing the spell to flow from her palm.

_Crack!_

"Aha!" she exclaimed excitedly as a flame atronach appeared from the void.

"Well, well," he smirked as he clasped a hand on her armored shoulder. "You actually did it."

"Now I have one that'll match yours." she joked.

"Matching. How cute," he drawled. "Think you can do it again?"

"Probably not," she replied. He just chuckled at her.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them. "There you two are." They turned to see that it was Frea. "Be careful not to venture out too far. The barrier does not cover much ground."

"We'll be fine, Frea. We're not going anywhere," Terah assured her. "But I will be heading to Saering's Watch in the morning." This statement provoked a glare out of Teldryn, but he remained silent.

"Yes, I know. I will help you prepare for your journey," she said before giving Terah a soft smile. "I'll be honest, I was not sure about you at first. But knowing that you are the dragonborn gives us hope."

Terah froze, eyes wide with shock. Her heart nearly lept out of her chest. _D__ammit, Frea. . ._

Teldryn squinted his eyes at Frea, "What did you just say?"

"I am sorry. . ." she said, looking equally confused. "Didn't you know?"

He turned his head to look at Terah. The look on her face said it all for him. "_What_?!"

His sudden outburst made both her and Frea jump. She warily met his gaze, incapable of forming words with the massive lump in her throat.

He let out a laugh that was certainly not out of amusement. "You have got to be kidding me."

Receiving no response, he was getting irritated. Frea hesitantly said to them, "Um. . . I'll just leave you two alone," before turning on her heels, leaving Terah behind to explain herself.

Teldryn just stared at the little Nord incredulously. "I knew you were hiding something, but by Mephala! You?" He asked with raised brows. "_You_ are the dragonborn?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"This little woman standing before me," he continued disbelievingly as he gestured to her, "is the almighty hero of Skyrim. Savior of Tamriel! Slayer of Alduin himself!" He drawled on loudly.

"Yes," she confirmed firmly. "Is that really so difficult to believe?"

"Yes, it is! Nords boast about their mighty deeds, they don't _hide_ them!"

"Oh, please!" she retaliated. "What did you expect? When I discovered that there was someone in Solstheim that wanted me, the dragonborn, dead, did you seriously think that I was going to show up here announcing my arrival to the whole damn island? I was hiding it from everyone, not just you! And it's actually nice to be somewhere new where not everyone knows who I am for once. It seriously gets old!"

He barked another unamused laugh. "Oh yes, it must be so hard being famous," he mocked. "It all makes sense now. The dragon armor, Miraak wanting you dead, you being immune to the Stones, and all. I still can't believe it. All of those _amazing_ stories about the dragonborn, and its _you _of all people."_  
_

She was getting very offended. "Do you really think me so weak that I am incapable of being dragonborn?"

"Perhaps I do! You couldn't even conjure up an atr-"

"**_Yol Toor Shul_**!"

He was cut off by a gust of fire that was a couple of feet away from incinerating him to death. Her Thu'um perforated through the mountains and into the sky like thunder. It pierced through his chest, rattled his bones, and felt as if it had shattered his very core. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his lifetime, and it was terrifying.

"You're right," she snapped as she angrily got into his face. "I may struggle to conjure a flame atronach, but believe it or not, I can conjure a dragon! A _dragon_, Teldryn! And that's not all I can do. I can do things that you can't even begin to fathom!" She dropped her voice down to a low growl, "So don't you _dare_ underestimate me. Not. For. One. Minute."

She received nothing but a look of shock from Teldryn in response. There was a flash of something inhuman in her eyes, but he couldn't quite place what it was. He was still taking in everything he had just witnessed.

The dragonborn sighed, feeling a little more calm now that she had let out her anger. "Look," she said softly. "I am powerful, but I don't go around boasting about it. I have done nothing but try to perfect myself for the past two years, but all of that still isn't enough. Coming here has given me a reality check, Teldryn. I know how powerful I am and I know what I am capable of, but Miraak is ten steps ahead of me." Her expression softened with a hint of despair. "Honestly, I'm scared. Almost as scared as I was with Alduin. But believe me, I will do everything in my ability to stop him, or I will die trying."

With that said, Terah resorted to sitting down on a frozen rock under a tree. Tired and deflated, she buried her face in her hands. Teldryn remained silent as he gazed upon the steamy snow that she had spat fire on. He was at a loss for words, for there was really no way of voicing all of the thoughts and questions racing through his mind. After a long moment of silence, he sat down beside her and let out a heavy sigh.

Finally, he spoke to her softly, "Your secret is safe with me, little Nord."

* * *

**Hardcore writer's block with this chapter. :/**


	9. Hanging Over Head

"I was going to tell you, you know. I just couldn't find the right time."

"No need to explain," Teldryn replied calmly. "I was. . . taken aback, I suppose."

"I know. And I'm sorry for Shouting at you." Terah glanced at him, holding back a smile. "You handled it well, though. Most men probably would've soiled their armor."

He chuckled, "It would take a lot for me to get to that point." His face turned serious. "But I'll be honest with you. It was terrifying."

"Of course it was," she said reassuringly. Men were always too embarrassed to admit how terrifying the Voice could actually be. "Imagine Alduin's Thu'um."

"Thu'um?"

"Yes. It means Voice. It's the special kind of magic that uses Words from the dragon language in the form of a Shout. It's typically inherent in Nords, but it comes to me naturally, of course." A wave of melancholy flowed over her. "All of that you said about seeing Mer in me. . . it's nonsense. What you actually see is dragon, but it was a nice compliment while it lasted."

He rose a brow, "I don't think any less of you now, if that's what you're getting at. I just always pictured the dragonborn to be a big, bold, manly Nord woman who was too prideful and drank a lot of mead. Not some doe-eyed little sweetheart."

She shot him with a glare, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He chuckled. "You are far too kind for a Nord."

"You're far too accepting for a Dunmer."

"Eh," he shrugged. "In my line of work, I have to be. I really don't have a problem with Nords, Bretons, or any other race for that matter. I have a problem with arrogance and stupidity. There's a difference."

"Wow, Teldryn," she grinned. "I'm beginning to respect you more and more every day."

With a sideways glance, he gave her a smirk, "And I, you."

Silence followed as they sat contently and listened to the wind in the trees. The night had crept up on them, and Terah started to feel how fatigued she was. She was still a little weak, so her Shout winded her more than she thought it would. She let out a big yawn and stretched her muscles, and Teldryn couldn't help but notice how much it made her look like an innocent little girl again. The memory of her bloody, oozing face in the temple flashed back into his mind, forcing him to hold back a shudder. Dragonborn or not, how this little thing survived through all of that still astonished him. There's certainly much more to her than meets the eye.

So many stories, and so many questions. The last thing he wanted to do was bombard her with all of the questions that plagued his mind, but it was becoming more and more difficult to keep quiet.

"So," he spoke, breaking the silence. "What exactly does it mean to be 'dragonborn'? Don't tell me you actually came out of a dragon's -"

"No!" she exclaimed with laughter, making Teldryn laugh as well. "I'm not literally born from a dragon! It just means that I have the blood and soul of a dragon, and the body of a mortal." He gave her a peculiar look. "It's a blessing from Akatosh, supposedly."

He replied with a nod, "That makes sense. And that explains why you're wearing this." He tugged at the small chain around her neck, pulling out an amulet of Akatosh that had been tucked under her armor. He ran over the amulet with his fingers, tracing the designs. He noticed her wearing it that morning when he left her company to allow her to sleep, but didn't think much of it at the moment.

She took the amulet from his hand, mimicking his motions as she let her fingers trail over it. "The divine who has blessed me the most," she said fondly, before shrugging, "At least that's what I believe." The amulet disappeared back underneath her armor.

"Soul of a dragon," Teldryn said, more to himself. "Interesting."

She smiled. "Bizzarre, I know. Makes me wonder. . ."

"Wonder what?"

"Where I'll go when I die."

They both sat there for a moment as they pondered the idea. Terah recalled her past; she had spent some time as a werewolf, and as a vampire, but she was cured now and not once had she sworn herself to serve any Daedra. She fell in love with Sovngarde during the short time she was there, and deeply hoped that it would be the place where she'd spend her afterlife.

"If you have the soul of a dragon, you'll probably go wherever dragons go." He glanced at Terah, holding back a chuckle, "I almost pity you."

Letting out a laugh, she replied, "I could be a dragon in the afterlife. That would be something."

He shrugged, "I suppose it's up to Akatosh."

"I suppose it is."

From the yearning tone in her voice, Teldryn could tell that she cared much about where she was going. "Where would you like to go?"

Looking him dead in the eye, she answered, "Sovngarde."

Perhaps the stories he heard about her were true, then. He was simply dying to ask. He had to hear it from the dragonborn herself. "Is it true?"

"Hm?"

He turned towards her a little more, furrowing his brows in thought. His curiosity was becoming more evident, much to Terah's amusement. "Did you really go to. . .Sovngarde?"

A smile formed on her face. With a nod, she confirmed, "I did."

"That's really where Nords go when they die?"

"If they are worthy, yes."

"And you really defeated Alduin there?"

Recalling the words that a certain special dragon had said to her, she answered, "_Viik nuz ni kron._"

The look on his face was one of the most comical expressions she had ever seen. "_What_?"

She burst into laughter. The dragon language had become so natural to her that sometimes she wouldn't even realize that she spoke it. "Defeated, but not conquered," she clarified.

Still with a puzzled look, he asked, "What do you mean?"

She formed another smile. "When I slay a dragon, I absorb its soul. You are aware of this, yes?"

"Was I born yesterday?"

"Oh hush, you," she said with a light slap on his arm. She smiled as she continued, "Well, when I had finally slain Alduin, I never actually absorbed his soul. He just sort of exploded," she waved her hands in the air to demonstrate an explosion. "I'm not really complaining, though. I don't think I'd want to absorb a soul so. . . awful."

Teldryn let her words sink in before he replied. "Is he still out there, then?"

She merely shrugged. "He's gone, for the moment, but I don't think he'll ever truly be gone. I may not have actually stopped the World-Eater. I may have only delayed him, as others have before me."

"Others?"

"A story for another time, Teldryn," she said as she rose to her feet. "Let's get some rest. We're going to need it."

In that brief moment, Teldryn could've thought she was middle-aged. She looked strong and seasoned, like she had endured and accomplished more than any Man or Mer could ever dream of.

With a smirk, he stood on his own feet and walked with her back to the Greathall. He was certainly looking forward to their travels together.

* * *

Teldryn woke up the next morning to the sound of chattering women. Sleep had evaded him that night; he was too busy thinking about the dragonborn and everything she had told him, and spent half of the night trying to wrap his head around the entire situation. Each question he had only multiplied into more questions, and it was maddening. Pushing his thoughts aside, he dragged himself out of his bed roll and joined Terah and Frea eating near the fire pit.

Terah was already dressed in her dragonscale armor, and Frea in armor of her own. A pair of bright blue eyes met his. They scanned down his body and back up again, taking in his appearance. He was in his underclothes, which was still an odd sight for Terah. Teldryn just wasn't Teldryn without his chitin armor. "Mornin'," she greeted enthusiastically before shoveling another bite of Azura-knows-what in her mouth.

As he ran a hand through his mohawk, he didn't bother greeting her back, "You must be pretty excited to leave if you're up this early." Food was calling his name, so he scooped up some of whatever was in the pot and sat at the table with them.

Terah swallowed. "Well, I'm feeling _loads_ better, so why shouldn't I be? Besides, the dragonborn is always excited to slay a dragon."

A spoonful of food had almost entered his mouth, but stopped as he shot her a look, "You think we're going to run into a dragon?"

"I don't think. I know." She pulled out her map and laid it on the table for Teldryn to see. "This is where we're going," she said, pointing to the Saering's Watch on the map. "I need to learn a Word there, but a dragon will be guarding it."

"Now I see why you didn't want me to go in the first place," he said before taking his bite. Almost immediately upon contact with his tounge, he made a bitter face. Horker. He absolutely hated horker. After swallowing, he asked, "Are you sure, though? For as long as I've been here I've never seen a dragon on this island."

Terah didn't bother swallowing her food yet as she replied, pointing her spoon at Teldryn, "I'll be willing to bet you one of my houses that there will be a dragon. Mark my words."

"_One _of your houses?" he asked with a chuckle. "How many houses do you have?"

She smirked at him. "Don't worry about it."

Since both she and Frea were finished with their Horker slop, they left Teldryn to force the rest of his food down. Frea was quiet for most of the morning, mostly due to the fact that she was beyond exhausted from being up all night working on their damned barrier. Nevertheless, she assisted Terah with gathering potions and supplies for their trip before escorting her outside.

Teldryn had shoveled the last of his horker down and snatched up his armor. After dressing himself and hiding his face under his helmet once again, he pulled the doors of the Greathall open to join the dragonborn waiting outside.

In her hands was a beautiful white Elven bow, and the arrows strapped to her back seemed to glow with natural beauty. "What is that?" he asked.

She turned to him and beamed. "This," she said while hugging the bow and caressing it fondly, "Is my baby. Don't you hate on him."

"Um," he said, sounding almost annoyed. "I am not. . . hating. I mean, where did it come from?"

"Don't worry about it," she said once again with a wink. "Now, let's get going. We have a busy day ahead of us."

He just rolled his eyes under his helmet.

* * *

Surely enough, Terah had been right. In the distance, they could make out a big, scaly dragon who was wreaking havoc upon some old ruins.

"Ha!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at the dragon. "Teldryn, I think you owe me a house."

"I never agreed to that bet," he corrected. "I don't even own a house."

The pair krept further towards the dragon and settled to hide behind a stony wall. A faint Shout could be heard, and Terah knew exactly what it was. The dragon was not alone.

"You hear that? Draugr." she said, peering around the wall.

A raspy voice sounded behind her. "You think we should just let them battle it out?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "The dragon already demolished quite a few, from the looks of it. Wait a minute," she said, squinting her eyes to get a good look at the dragon. "Odd. That's the weirdest looking dragon I've ever seen."

"Dragons don't normally look like that?"

"No. It looks like a dragon spent a drunken night with an Orc and gave birth to this." She turned her head to Teldryn and could almost feel him glaring at her. "What? Look at that underbite."

"Can we get going already?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry," she said, waving a hand dismissively. "This is your first time battling a dragon, correct?"

"Correct. But I look forward to the challenge," he said with what sounded like a hint of bloodlust in the tone of his voice.

His fearlessness and ferocity excited her, and provoked her to grin at him, "I appreciate the enthusiasm. But I do need to go over some things with you." Her tone turned serious, "Avoid the head; he'll snatch you up and toss you like a rag doll. And stay away from the tail or it'll whip your ass to Oblivion. Attack his wings and sides, and if you can get a clear shot, get him in his neck. He's a frost breather, so use _fire_. I'll distract him and the Draugr the best I can so you don't become breakfast. And Teldryn," she paused, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'd be extremely upset if you got yourself killed, so please, don't. And most importantly, _trust me_."

He responded with a curt nod. He had only known this woman for what, five or six days? That didn't matter. What mattered was that he genuinely trusted her. Teldryn did not give out his trust and respect easily, so for her to have earned it so quickly was new to him. Perhaps it was something in her eyes, but he wasn't sure. Somehow he could see so much good in her, so much strength in her sense of duty. There were many high expectations of the dragonborn, and in that moment, he believed that she was certainly living up to them.

She let go of his shoulders and grabbed the beautiful bow on her back. "Are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Alright. Let's do this."

Without warning, she bolted straight for the dragon like a crazed maniac. The ugly dragon rose into the air with a swoosh of his wings while letting out a roar that could probably be heard from anywhere on the island.

"What- _Terah_!" he yelled before running after her.

She had stopped beneath the dragon, and he could see her hands ball up into fists ash she puffed up her chest and Shouted, "**_Joor Zah Frul_**!"

Her Breath was of pure blue light this time. It reached out to the dragon and ensnared it with a sound like crashing boulders. The dragon shrieked at the foreign feeling as it was being forcefully pulled down to land.

Teldryn felt her Thu'um in his bones once again, but this time was far more exhilarating. It only made his heart pump faster and his adrenaline rush increase.

The reptile landed gracelessly, only to have Terah immediately knock an arrow straight into his neck. The arrow burst into a bright golden light that seemed to burn the dragon like fire. Teldryn rushed in and attacked, slashing his wings and engulfing the dragon in relentless flames as much as he could. Terah was doing well to distract the beast, so he took a chance and ran his sword into the dragon's neck. Either the dragon was really that tough, or his blade desperately needed sharpening; it had penetrated through not even a foot of his neck, which only seemed to piss him off. The blue light that surrounded him disappeared, and he turned his scaly head toward Teldryn as he prepared to exhale a gust of frosty Breath.

"**_Joor Zah Frul_**!"

Terah's Shout had ensnared him once again, saving Teldryn from being nearly frozen to death. The dragon snapped his head towards Terah and let out a blood-curdling roar, but was silenced as a blade was thrust into his eye, penetrating deep into his brain. Terah withdrew her blade and he crashed down to the snowy ground, motionless.

The dragonborn tiredly walked towards Teldryn, a grin creeping on her face. "Good work. I'm impressed."

"Same to you," he acknowledged. A ball of restoring light formed in her hands, and she let it wash over her body. Teldryn spotted some nasty frost wounds and a couple of cuts from the Draugr she had somehow managed to eliminate, but they quickly disappeared under the golden light. He felt somewhat guilty for letting her get hurt while she kept him unscathed, but he reassured himself that she was indeed gifted and skilled, and could handle herself.

The dragon began to spontaneously combust as his skin burned away into a white-gold light. Teldryn watched as it left nothing but bone behind. He turned his head towards Terah, only to find a puzzled look on her face. He mirrored that look as they both followed the trail of light, and saw what the light was moving towards. _Who_ the light was moving towards.

"It takes a strong will to command a Dragon's soul," said the all too familiar immortal voice. "Perhaps you aren't as powerful as you think."

Terah's face grew redhot as she seared with anger. Miraak had completely devoured the soul. _Her_ soul. She lunged forward to strike him, but his ethereal form was intangible.

He only chuckled at her pathetic attempt. "I am not on this plane, Dragonborn. And I grow ever stronger."

She growled at him through gritted teeth, "That is _my_ soul you son of a bitch."

"That is where you are wrong. This dragon's soul belongs to me. Thank you for help. We will meet again soon."

He left the last dragonborn standing there, chest heaving with raw fury.

"That was him, wasn't it?" said the much more appealing raspy voice behind her.

She nodded sharply to confirm that it was indeed Miraak, her newfound greatest enemy. Terah didn't know whether scream or cry, so she did what she knew how to do best. She Shouted into the sky.

"**ARGH**!" Her Thu'um had no magical affect; it was just a way to let out the anger boiling up inside of her. It had greatly startled Teldryn, for he had not seen it coming, but he remained silent. He patiently waited as he watched Terah take deep, deliberate breaths to try to calm herself down.

Finally, he poorly tried to lighten the mood. "Remind me not to piss you off."

"Teldryn," she snapped venomously, "Don't you start. You have no idea how infuriating this is." She was shaking out of anger, frustration, despair, who knew?

"Terah, calm down-"

"No, dont start! You don't understand how _awful_ this feels. This was my kill! _Our_ kill! Killing a dragon without taking its soul is like," she paused, trying to find something to compare it to, "Like sex without the orgasm! Not that I would know," she corrected. Terah heaved a sigh. "I just really don't know how to get you to understand, Teldryn. It was my soul!"

"Wait a minute," he started, a smirk growing behind his helmet. "You've never. . ?"

He was trying her patience. Despite everything, she could feel a blush creep up onto her cheeks. "Look, I never really had the occasion! I came to Skyrim when I was eighteen years old and was arrested the moment I crossed the border. Then I went on to discover that I'm dragonborn, and have had the weight of the world on my shoulders ever since. So no, I have never. I've been a little busy, okay?"

He raised his arms up in defense, and said calmly, "Okay." He was glad she couldn't see his smirk.

She sighed. "Let me just learn this damn Word so we can go."

In awkward silence, they hiked up the stony stairs and met the Word Wall. Teldryn witnessed the same thing he saw in that damned Temple, which clarified what that had really been. He was tempted to say something but thought better of it, so he chose to stay quiet.

"Bend Will," she said confusedly before turning to Teldryn. "This Word. _Gol_. Earth. It allows me to bend the will of nature."

"I suppose that makes sense, if you're going to be using it against the Stones."

"Alright then," she said as she regained her confident composure, determined to tackle the task ahead of her. "Let's free some people, shall we?"

* * *

**A virgin? :o There aren't very many virgin dragonborns, are there? lol**

**Aaaaaand next chapter we will eventually arrive at Tel Mithryn, and Terah will reunite with an old friend. ;)**


	10. Cleanse and Mend

The Wind Stone stood before them, and the brainless chant filled their ears once again. The Word Terah needed to use felt oddly similar to the Word she learned in the temple. Something about it made her uneasy, and she wasn't sure what effect it would have on the Stone.

"Stand back, Teldryn," she warned. "I'm not sure what this will do."

Terah moved closer to the Stone, stepping in the tainted water that surrounded it. _Might as well just get this over with_.

"**_Gol_**!"

The enslaved villagers' progress on the Stone completely disintegrated, and they snapped out of their trance. Terah immediately received a flurry of concerned and confused questions.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"How did I get here?"

"It's okay," Terah assured them. "You're free now."

No one noticed how the water began to boil black as she spoke. Something shot right up out of the water, knocking Terah on her butt. The massive creature towered over Terah as it let out a blood-curdling shriek.

Teldryn immediately ran in and snatched her up by the arm. "Get up, woman!" Terah found her footing and unsheathed her Dragonbane blade. The villagers screamed and panicked, which certainly didn't help the situation.

"Go! Get back to the village!" she yelled to them before getting smacked to the ground by the hideous beast. She let out a startled yelp, but she hadn't badly injured.

As she fumbled back onto her feet, she swore she heard Teldryn cry out in pain. The dragonborn rushed in for an attack, carefully dodging the creature's blows since she knew she wasn't strong enough to block them. She struck it, burned it, electrified it, but the thing just never quit. Finally, the tip of an Elven sword protruded out of the middle of the creature's abdomen, and Teldryn let it fall to the ground. But he collapsed to the ground as well.

"Oh, no. No no no no no. . ." she repeated as she dropped to her knees at his side. Fearing what she might see, she carefully removed his helmet.

Black ooze trickled from the sides of his mouth, striking Terah with panic that she had to quickly put down. He made strangled, pained grunts, and the sight of him nearly broke her heart. "Not you too!" she exclaimed.

His fingers dug deep into the snow as he did everything he could to keep himself under control.

"I'm gonna make it go away, Teldryn," she said hastily. "I promise."

Teldryn could barely hear her, and his vision blurred in and out of focus. One moment, he could see the Nord's little worried face, and the next moment, it was gone. She was forcing some kind of liquid down his throat, which he greedily swallowed the best he could. Despite having been poisoned with the foulest of poisons, Teldryn was remaining surprisingly calm.

The effects of the poison were beginning to wear off; his vision was coming back into focus, the throbbing in his ears was subsiding, and the pain that wracked through his body was quickly fading away. Luckily, Terah had been taught at a young age how to separate poisons from the bloodstream. Since she caught it quickly and forced a potion down his throat, she managed to pull it off.

The mercenary coughed and spluttered for a good minute as Terah roughly patted his back. Once his choking subsided, he was able to speak, "That was unpleasant."

Heaving a sigh, she hoisted the man up and onto his feet. "Let's agree to avoid getting ourselves poisoned again."

"Agreed," he said in annoyance.

They glanced over to the mysterious black creature, observing how its black blood boiled out of its wounds. Upon getting closer for inspection, they could see its slimy black skin and razor-sharp teeth. It was much larger than a human, but wasn't as big as a giant.

"Sheogorath's beard, that's an ugly one," said Teldryn distastefully.

The dragonborn slowly nodded in agreement as she glared disgustedly at the thing. "I must say," she said as she handed him his helmet. "You handled that poison much better than I did."

Once his face was covered again, he replied, "Yes, but I'm sure you had it much worse. And if it weren't for you, I'd be a dead man." His tone became much lighter, and it almost sounded like he was smiling. "Thank you, Outlander."

She rose her brows at him, "So now I'm 'Outlander,' hm?"

Terah received no reply, but she was sure he was smirking at her or something underneath that ugly helmet of his.

Shaking her head, she said, "Whatever, Mister Mysterious. Let's get back to the village. Then you'll get to watch me Shout at some more Stones."

"Oh, good," he drawled. "I'm simply dying with anticipation."

* * *

It was basically pointless to go back to the Skaal village. Storn already knew of their success, having seen that his people returned. Nevertheless, he shared some valuable information about a wizard named Neloth from Tel Mithryn, who apparently knew a lot about black books, so Terah figured they'd pay him a visit after they cleansed the rest of the All-Maker Stones.

First stop: Earth Stone. It wasn't the nearest one to them, but it was Teldryn's home, and that was certainly something they could go out of their way for, as far as she was concerned. The two were not far from the town's side entrance now.

Teldryn suddenly pointed a finger, "Look, just ahead. Ash spawn."

Struggling to keep the ash out of her eyes, Terah tried peering ahead, but to no avail. "I can't see a thing, Teldryn."

"That looks like. . . Captain Veleth," he said as he continued forward with a quickened pace. "Nice to see that he's kept himself together."

The Nord woman scurried along with her short legs as she tried to keep up with his pace. Her eyes finally confirmed what Teldryn had spotted, and they both drew their weapons to assist the man with taking down the ashy vermin.

"Thanks," panted the exhausted Dunmer as he sheathed his battle axe. "If you two hadn't showed up, I don't think I would've made it off this farm alive."

He had an accent that was somewhat different from the other Raven Rock citizens she had encountered, so Terah figured that he was originally from another part of Morrowind. From the looks of his short-shaven haircut, his skill with his battle axe, and the title of "Captain" that he carried, she could tell he was a warrior and a soldier through and through.

"Glad to see you're still kickin', Teldryn."

"You too," he replied.

"And who is this outlander you're traveling with?" Veleth asked with a hint of a smile as he took in the little Nord's appearance.

She always thought that most native Dunmer appeared mean, menacing, or inhospitable, but Veleth gave her a completely different vibe. His light tone of voice and open friendliness, along with the tenderness in his bright red eyes, put her at ease and made her feel comfortable. Plus, there was no disdain in the way he called her "outlander," as opposed to the rest of the Dunmer in Raven Rock.

"Terah," she introduced as she smiled from behind her kerchief.

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, "Captain Modyn Veleth of the Redoran Guard. Pleasure."

Teldryn got straight to the point, "You have any idea how many are left?"

The captain sighed. "Not many. Just me, Councilor Arano, and some of my men. I don't really know how we've fought it for so long."

"It won't be a problem anymore," Terah piped. "We're here to help."

"Really now?" he skeptically asked with a raised brow. "No offense, little one, but I really don't think there's anything you could do. Trust me, Arano has tried _everything_ to get his precious Councilor Morvayn out of this mess."

She had to fight rolling her eyes at him. _Little one. Pfft._

Teldryn couldn't resist a chuckle, obviously sensing her irritation. "She's dragonborn, Captain. She's already worked her magic on one of the Stones."

She groaned, "Teldryn-"

"What? He was going see it happen anyways."

"The dragonborn herself has come to save the day?" Veleth asked, dumbfounded by the fact that someone important actually cared about Raven Rock. "I think you left that out in the introduction."

"I don't like to brag," she shrugged. "Now can we get to that damn Stone already?"

The dragonborn took the liberty of walking ahead of them, not bothering to see if they were following her or not.

"A Nord that doesn't like to brag," Veleth said to Teldryn as they kept a short distance behind her. "Quite a rare creature."

"That's basically what I said."

"Really, though," he said in a hushed voice as he observed how the dragonborn's hips slightly swayed as she walked. "This little thing is the dragonborn?"

Teldryn snorted, "I thought the same thing."

"I can hear you, you know," Terah called over her shoulder.

The men laughed as they continued to pick on the outlander all the way to the Earth Stone.

The moment Terah used her Shout, two of those same foul creatures burst through the water, but taking them down was manageable with Captain Veleth's help this time. After the monsters had been slain, the captain professionally explained to the startled and confused citizens what happened and assured them that they could safely return to their homes. He made sure to give both Teldryn and Terah credit for their rescue, but never mentioned anything about the outlander being dragonborn.

A gentle hand rested on Terah's shoulder, catching her attention. The moment she turned around, an accented voice spoke to her, "You are the one who has helped my people?" The voice belonged to a Dunmer man with golden-blonde hair and a face that wore pure exhaustion. His voice was smoother than most Dunmer, and his ash-covered fine clothes suggested that he was a man of high status.

"Yes, for the most part," she replied from behind her kerchief.

He smiled wearily at her as he gently squeezed her shoulder, "You have my utmost gratitude, Outlander. I will make sure you are properly rewarded for your troubles. As for now, I invite you to stay for a while, have a drink or two."

"Oh, no, that won't be necessary. Thank you," she said kindly. "I'd love to stick around but I need to get the other Stones. Eat something. You probably haven't eaten in days."

The dragonborn turned on her heels and briskly walked away, leaving the man to stare at her with curious interest.

_Two down, four more to go_.

* * *

Water. Tree. Beast. Sun. It had taken three days to complete their mission, but they had finally cleansed all of the All-Maker Stones. The mushroom settlement could be seen just ahead of them, and Terah was eager to finally get indoors and rest a little. Teldryn led her to the tallest mushroom house, but grabbed her elbow and stopped her just outside the door.

"Listen, I've been here once when I was hired to deliver some supplies," he explained before removing his helmet. Gloved fingers ran through his mohawk as his expression turned serious. "Let me handle this. The last thing we want to do is piss these people off."

Pulling down her kerchief, she replied, "What, you don't think I have the charm and charisma to convince some wizard to look at a book?"

He shot her a look, "Don't take it personally, sera. The Telvanni are the most inhospitable Dunmer on this island. Trust me." He raised his helmet up over his head and hooked it onto his back, keeping it secure and conveniently out of the way.

She looked at him confusedly before pulling the black book out of her pack and handing it to him. _Did he just call me "sera"?_

With a sharp tilt of his head, he motioned her to follow him as he pushed the door open. Confusion washed over Terah when she took in her new settings; the only way they could go was up. The cylindrical room was only about eight feet in diameter, and blue magic flowed up from the center towards the main part of the tower.

After shutting the door behind them, Teldryn snaked an arm around her waist.

She immediately tensed and whispered uncomfortably, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, sera," he calmly whispered into her ear as he pulled her closer to him. He proceeded to escort her into the blue magic and tightened his grip on her as it rose them up to the main room. Terah struggled to regain her balance when her dragonscale boots met the wooden platform beneath her, yet Teldryn seemed to handle it with ease.

A young Dunmer man in yellow robes spotted them first. He briskly approached the two, and from the look of disdain on his face, Terah didn't think they were very welcome at all.

"You are not welcome here," he warned. "Does Master Neloth know about you?"

"No," Teldryn answered, completely unintimidated. "But he'll certainly want to know about this," he said as he raised the wretched book up to show to him.

The young Dunmer seemed to already know what it was. "Yes, Master Neloth thoroughly enjoys studying Black Books, so hand it to me and be off."

Just as he reached out for it, Teldryn quickly withdrew the book from his grasp. "I don't think so. It's important that we speak to him directly."

He replied impatiently, "I'm afraid he is busy at the moment and cannot be disturbed. You can leave the book here and -"

"No, we don't have the time," said Teldryn firmly. "It is _very_ urgent that we speak with him."

The younger Dunmer folded his arms across his chest in defiance. "Do you realize -"

"Is there a problem here?" said a strikingly familiar voice.

Terah snapped her head towards the person who had spoken, and was beyond surprised by who she saw. The wood elf looked exactly the same since she had last seen him, besides the fact that he was covered in ash. He still had wooden-brown skin, gray lips, spiky brown hair, and a certain essence of misery that haunted his eyes.

"_Malborn_?!"

* * *

**I figured heck, why not give Malborn some love. Especially since I initially thought that he would be much more involved in the story.**

***small SPOILER* For those of you who don't know, if he survives, you can help him flee to Morrowind. (not much of a spoiler, but I didn't wanna piss anyone off lol)**

**If any of you are Malborn fans, you'll be seeing some more of him in my fics.**


	11. Albatross

**Took me long enough, I know. Don't hate me. D:**

* * *

When the Bosmer caught sight of her, his eyes widened with recognition. "It's you!" he exclaimed.

The look of utter surprise on her face was replaced with a small smile. "What are you doing here? I thought I escorted you to the border."

"You know this outlander?" asked the young Dunmer who had been giving them trouble.

Malborn barked a laugh. "Do I? This woman ruined my life."

Terah heaved a sigh. _Great. Malborn still hates me. There's no way they'll let us talk to Neloth now._

His deep brown eyes locked onto hers, and a ghost of a smile formed on his face. "But she has also saved it numerous times. And if she came all this way to see Master Neloth, then it must be important. He'll definitely want to speak with her right away."

The yellow-robed Dunmer protested, "But I've never even heard of -"

"Enough, Talvas," Malborn scolded. "Believe me when I say that he will be furious if he doesn't see this woman immediately."

He sighed indignantly, "Alright. I'll go fetch him."

The little Bosmer winked at Terah before turning on his heal and returning to his duties.

Glaring at the dragonborn, Teldryn mumbled, "Pure luck."

She couldn't hide the huge grin that formed on her face.

Hearing someone approach from behind them, they turned around to see a familiar bearded face wearing familiar crimson and gold robes. "Ah. You again," he said nonchalantly. "Ran into you at the Earth Stone, yes?"

"So _you're_ Master Neloth?" Teldryn asked rhetorically.

Terah rose her brows, "Hm. Small world."

"Indeed. Now," Neloth began impatiently. "What is so important that needs my attention?"

Teldryn rose the black book in his hand to give it to the wizard. Terah explained, "We heard that you know a lot about Black Books."

"A lot?" Neloth scoffed as he snatched the book. "I know almost everything about - wait a minute." He squinted his eyes at her, "You read it, didn't you? Don't try to deny it, you have the look! Stupid girl."

"Hey," she said as she offendedly placed a hand on her chest. "I didn't realize what it was capable of. It's a damned book, for Kyne's sake! It took me to a wretched place. . ."

"Apocrypha. Hermaeus Mora's very own realm of Oblivion," he explained. "Wretched place indeed, but full of incredible knowledge."

Teldryn nodded as if something had clicked in his mind. "Daedric prince of fate and forbidden knowledge. That explains a lot."

The dragonborn pinched the bridge of her nose. _Well, it's no wonder why it was so awful. I went to freaking Oblivion and back. _She heaved a heavy sigh before speaking to Neloth, "But that still doesn't explain what I saw. Not completely. You told me about Miraak, how he died years ago. Well, apparently that's false; he's in _Apocrypha_, or whatever it's called. I saw him there, and he spoke to me."

"I figured this had something to do with your quest for Miraak," Neloth said in deep thought. "What did he say?"

"Well, he wants me dead," Terah said blatantly. "And he wishes to return to Solstheim. He was the one corrupting the Stones."

Still in deep thought, Neloth slowly nodded with his eyes lightly shut. "You are Terah Stoneheart, the dragonborn of Skyrim," he said matter-of-factly.

Taken aback by his knowledge of her name and the randomness of his statement, she replied, "How did you know that?"

"I can sense very ancient magic resonating from you, and given the information you have provided me, it isn't difficult to put the pieces together," he said with snark. His tone lightened up with a hint of interest, "I must say, you'd make a fascinating test subject for my experiments."

"Um, thank you?" Terah replied, unsure of what to think. "How do you know my name?"

Neloth rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand as he turned to analyze the black book on the table beside him. "Please, dear girl, after centuries of a dragonless Tamriel, do you really think the last dragonborn is going to show up out of nowhere without me knowing about it? I simply had to know every detail the moment I heard about the return of the dragons. Especially now that they've been attacking my tower!"

"Yes, well, let's get to the point," Teldryn said impatiently. "How can Miraak be stopped?"

Neloth stood tall and straightened his robes, "I assume you two are the ones responsible for cleansing the Stones, correct?"

"Correct," Terah confirmed. "I learned a Shout to bend the will of the Stones."

Tapping a finger to his temple, the Telvanni wizard explained, "Dangerous knowledge is still knowledge, and therefore useful. Usually turns out to be the most useful, in my experience."

Her breath caught in her throat as she had an epiphany. _I never thought about what the second and third Words might be capable of. _Terah glanced between the Dunmer men before declaring, "I'll have to know what Miraak knows in order to stop him."

"A very dangerous path indeed," Neloth nodded. "You could very well end up like Miraak. Two power-mad dragonborn! It would be very interesting. . ."

"That's not going to happen," she clarified irritatedly. "Do you know where I can find another Black Book, then?"

"Oh yes. I haven't been idle while this fascinating madness engulfed Solstheim," he said as he delved into some notes on his table. "I have a Black Book here that I've been using to locate more, so I know where to find one that _can_ help you. I haven't been able to get it, though. It's buried in the Dwemer ruins of Nchardak, not too far from here, but I lack the means of getting in."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Terah offered.

"Not really," he said bluntly, his eyes never leaving his notes. "I require a certain object to get in, which I have been unable to obtain. Once I have it, however, you two will certainly be of help. I'll send word for you when I'm ready."

Teldryn shrugged, "Alright then."

Terah seemed somewhat relaxed about the matter as well; cleansing the All-Maker Stones bought them a fair amount of time. She certainly wasn't looking forward to dealing with any more Black Books, but she would do whatever needed to be done.

Neloth sneered down at the traveling pair as he took in their filthy appearance. "Malborn!" he called.

The wood elf scurried over to them, "Yes, Master Neloth?"

"Draw these buffoons some baths," he ordered, still sneering down at them. "They're stinking up my tower!"

"Yes, Master Neloth," Malborn replied before smiling at Terah. "Come on, I'll take you next door to Elynea's."

"Thank you," she said smiling back. "You're bathing first, Teldryn. You smell far worse than I do."

"I beg to differ," he retorted.

Before floating down the magical lift, Terah quickly glanced around the tower for the first time. It was quite an intriguing place, and she was honestly impressed with the fact that the Telvanni were able to grow such constructs. The more she learned about Dunmer culture, the more she appreciated it. It also made her think about the harsh racism in Windhelm, which has always gotten under her skin.

_If only Nords and Dunmer could get along. . ._

* * *

Malborn had offered her his arm to take her toward the shoreline. They exchanged light conversation as they gazed upon the Red Mountain across the water, smoke and ash still rising from its peak. It was beautiful, in its own way, and the the colorful night sky only made the view much more striking. Terah began to appreciate Solstheim much more now that she had explored much of it, and the moment there with Malborn made her realize that it wasn't such a wretched place after all.

"I know why you're here," he said. "I eavesdropped the entire conversation you had with Master Neloth."

She giggled, "I figured you did. I'll explain everything to you later."

He simply nodded. "So who's you're friend?"

"Teldryn? I hired him when I first arrived here." She shrugged, "I didn't expect to embark on a quest to kill an ancient rebel dragon priest with him, but he's proven to be a good friend."

"Yes. He's quite the gentleman," he said sarcastically.

Terah barked a laugh. "Indeed."

They gazed across the water once more, content with the comfortable silence. Finally, Terah glanced at the little Bosmer next to her. Of course, he wasn't so little compared to her; they were exactly the same height. As she looked upon his face, she noticed that although he had a small smile on his face, the misery in his eyes never left him. Perhaps it wasn't so noticeable to others, but Terah was highly perceptive with these things. Despite the fact that she never forced him to help her infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy, she still felt like everything was her fault. Her guilt became too difficult to contain.

"Malborn," she started weakly. "I really want to apologize."

His brows furrowed, "For what?"

She honestly didn't know where to begin. Atonement was never something she struggled with, but Malborn always haunted her. He made her feel like a failure of a heroine, and she would forever feel responsible for the elf. "For ruining your life."

He cast his eyes down and sighed, "It was wrong for me to blame you. I was just angry."

"But look at you," she said sadly. "What are you doing in Tel Mithryn? I dislike seeing you ordered around by elves of higher status."

"It's safe here," he explained. "It isn't the ideal life for me, but I am content, I suppose. I get to hunt every now and then. And I never have to worry about the Thalmor finding me here."

"You're right, this is the last place the Thalmor would be," she agreed. "But I want you to be happy, Malborn. I want you to live freely without being so paranoid. I want you to meet a lovely Bosmer woman and have cute little Bosmer babies."

He chuckled lightly, unable to hold back a smile. "That life will never be mine, Dragonborn." His face fell once more. "Being a servant is all I'll ever know."

"That's not true," she argued. "The Stormcloaks are actually nearing victory in Skyrim. If they win the war, Skyrim will be safe from the Thalmor. You could come back. You wouldn't have to live like this."

He rose a brow, "You want the Stormcloaks to win?"

"I never said that," she clarified, shaking her head. "It's just an option for you if it happens."

"It wouldn't matter, anyways," he sighed. "I don't know a thing about close combat. I'd never survive in Skyrim."

She shook her head once again, "That's where you're wrong, Malborn. You could learn. I could have the Companions train you. Heck, you could even hunt with local Whiterun Bosmer and help him run his stall."

Malborn didn't look encouraged.

Terah sighed, "I'm just trying to get you to realize that there are more options for you than this." Placing a gloved hand on his shoulder, she promised, "When all of this is over, I'll come back for you. I am going to give you the life you deserve, even if it kills me. Mark my words."

He rose a brow at her, "That isn't necessary."

"But it is." Terah smiled at him before placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. Her smile grew wider as she watched his brown cheeks flush with color. "Let's head back," she said as she motioned toward the giant mushrooms. "I really need to bathe."

Wrinkling his nose, Malborn nodded in agreement. They broke out in laughter that echoed harmoniously across the ashy shore.

* * *

The door opened and Terah quickly made her way into the kitchen house, desperate to evade the ash. Malborn had convinced the cook, Ulves, to let her and Teldryn sleep there for the night, knowing that he was one of the more friendly Dunmer in the settlement. Teldryn had been calmly sitting alone on his bed roll, donned in only a clean black shirt and trousers.

She dropped her amor and equipment on the floor and heaved a sigh of relief. "I feel much better. I still have ash on me, somehow, but I feel much better."

"I'm afraid there's no getting around that," Teldryn said hoarsely. "You'll get used to it."

He noticed that she was wearing men's clothes, but they strangely fit her well. The blue shirt and tan trousers must have belonged to the wood elf, seeing that there was no way she could fit into any of the other Dunmer's clothes. Teldryn carefully watched her pull a soul gem out of her pack on the floor and place it on the table. She then lifted her thin, steel blade and quickly struck the gem. He watched the enchanted weapon recharge as the gem withered away in the process. Raising his gaze to her face, he saw that her long, golden hair was still slightly damp and framed her small, round face. He quite liked how she looked with her hair let down.

As he glanced back at her blade, now sparkling with electric magic, his brows furrowed in confusion. He swore she originally had a sword made of dragon bone. "Didn't you have a different sword with you?"

"I did, yes," she nodded, still focused on her Dragonbane blade.

"Where'd that one come from?"

"I pulled it out of my ass."

He rolled his eyes, "Seriously, where'd it come from? And what happened to that white bow you had?"

"Don't worry about it," she smirked at him.

As frustrating as she was with her little secrets, he still couldn't fight a smile. An odd feeling of fondness washed over him, giving him a very sudden urge that was difficult to resist. He rose to his feet and walked over to the little Nord, gently removing the sword from her hands and placing it on the table. Terah watched him with interest, unsure of what his intentions were.

He made his intentions very clear the moment he entangled a gray hand into her hair, and the sudden action struck her heart with both fear and excitement. Leaning his head down, he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and undemanding, but there was just enough passion behind it that ensured Terah that he wasn't kissing her out of mere lust. After taking a moment to recover from her initial shock, she allowed her hands to wander up his chest, appreciating the strong muscles beneath the fabric.

Of course, she had been pressed against his warm body before when she was ill, but she felt far too awkward at the moment to truly appreciate it. Now, the feeling of his hot lips against hers and the sweltering heat radiating off of his body was enough to drive her mad. He lightly dipped his tongue into her mouth, which sent an entire new wave of chills down her spine.

Not allowing her to relish the moment for very long, he gently pulled away. She could see a light in Teldryn's blood-red eyes that she had never seen before, but it disappeared in almost an instant. Suddenly, his expression became somewhat worried.

"I shouldn't have done that."

* * *

**They finally kissed! It only took 11 chapters. . .**


End file.
